01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 1

The Canadian Field-Naturalist

Volume 118, Number 1 JanuaryÐMarch 2004

Origins and History of The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club

DANIEL F. BRUNTON

216 Lincoln Heights Road, Ottawa, Ontario K2B 8A8 Canada; e-mail: [email protected]

Brunton, Daniel F. 2004. Origins and history of The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club. Canadian Field-Naturalist 118(1): 1Ð38. The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club (OFNC) represents an unbroken chain of organized, non-governmental natural history investigation and education dating back to the early days of the city of Ottawa itself. The Club originated in 1863 with the formation of the Ottawa Natural History Society which became the Natural History branch of the Ottawa Literary and Scientific Society in 1870, from which the OFNC formally separated in March 1879. Since that time, it has grown into Canada’s oldest and largest regional natural history organization and has produced a diverse and internationally recognized publication program. Since 1880 The Canadian Field-Naturalist and its predecessors have constituted the scientific core of the OFNC’s publication program, with Trail & Landscape being an important Ottawa Valley publication since the late 1960s. The importance of both publications to the growth and health of the organization is reflected in the major surges in Club membership experienced when each of these publications was established. The focus of membership activities has changed over the history of the OFNC, with enlightened natural resource management, then original scientific research and local exploration directing energies in the early decades. By the early years of the 20th century the publications program become the raison d’etre of the Club, almost to the exclusion of local field activities. A renewed interest in field discovery and the growth of conservation awareness in the 1960s, however, rekindled local activities and re-established the balance which has sustained the organization throughout its history. Natural environment education has remained a critical theme within OFNC programs and activities. Over and above inspiring the professional careers and private interests of thousands of individuals for more than a century, the OFNC has had an important and lasting impact on the conservation of natural environment features and landscapes in Canada and North America. Key Words: Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club; Ottawa Natural History Society; The Canadian Field-Naturalist; Trail & Landscape.

Canada was a mere 12 years old in 1879 when 34 of the Governor General and his politically and socially members of the Ottawa Literary and Scientific Society powerful entourage – dictated more about one’s status (OLSS) gathered together on an early spring evening and options than personal wealth or political position to discuss a growing problem within Ottawa’s fledg- (Gwyn 1984). ling naturalist community. Most were full of Victorian The events which unfolded that cool spring evening enthusiasm for discovery and intellectual advance- in the OLSS rooms perched above the muddy streets of ment and were convinced of the limitless potential of Ottawa launched careers, changed government policy, their new country. These young men Ð and they were protected tens of thousands of hectares of Canadian all men, mostly in their 20s or 30s Ð were frustrated natural landscape, produced internationally recognized by what they saw as an ineffective, moribund OLSS and significant scientific publications, made huge con- Natural History Branch which did not serve their needs. tributions to our understanding and appreciation of These impatient “young Turks” wanted to actually do North American natural sciences, and enriched thou- things, to get out into the countryside of the Ottawa sands upon thousands of lives. Oh yes … and initiated Valley to explore and discover its natural wonders. And what has become the largest and oldest regional natu- with true Victorian missionary zeal, they wanted to ralist organization in Canada’s history, The Ottawa share these revelations amongst themselves and with Field-Naturalists’ Club (OFNC). the larger Canadian Ð even international Ð commu- nity. All of this in the name of personal intellectual The Pioneers (1840s-1863) development as well as the chance to advance the Although the formal beginning of The Ottawa Field- scientific and applied benefits of such knowledge. That Naturalists’ Club in 1879 was 125 years ago, natural- was heady, revolutionary stuff in the staid, conserva- ists’ organizations in the Capital actually pre-date Can- tive Ottawa of March 1879 when how close one was to ada itself (Brault 1946; Dore 1968; Taylor 1986). Prior Rideau Hall – the literal and figurative operational base to Confederation, Ottawa (and Bytown before it) was

1 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 2

2THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

a rude little lumber town characterized more by saw- dust, beer and brawls than by intellectual achievement. The only adult education or research institution pre- sent in those early days was the Mechanics Institute, a charitable organization initiated in 1847 as something akin to a continuing education facility and library for working men. There were no such things as “night school” or public libraries, let alone publicly accessi- ble research organizations. An informal group known as the Silurian Society interested in geological (and mining?) issues was also reported to be active in the 1850s. “Active” may be a misnomer, since they left little reference of their doings, other than to suggest that their meetings were held “in the City of Ottawa” (Anonymous 1854). The only natural environment research being under- taken in the Ottawa Valley before the 1860s was by three highly active individuals. Edward Van Cortlandt (1805-1875) was the most socially prominent of these. He was one of the first doctors in Bytown, arriving in 1832 to attend to the military personnel stationed on Barracks Hill (now Parliament Hill). He developed an extensive private museum of curiosities and artifacts in the 1840s, liberally mixing archaeological specimens found at aboriginal sites along the Ottawa River with natural items dug up, collected, and/or shot in the vicinity of the town. He was, by all accounts, a remark- ably energetic man who used his high social standing to influence local business leaders in natural resource- oriented concerns (Moffatt 1986). FIGURE 1. Elkanah Billings. Billings was born in 1820, became Another dynamo was Elkanah Billings (1820-1876) one of the earliest naturalists in Ottawa, and pub- (Figure 1), second son of one of Ottawa’s first pio- lished the first journal on natural history in Ontario in neer families. Billings was passionately interested in 1856 (see Figure 2). He moved to Montreal later that natural history in general and geology/paleontology year to become the first palaeontologist of the Geo- logical Survey of Canada, and the initial curator of its in particular. At various times he was a newspaper pub- museum. (reproduction of the OFNC-commissioned lisher (The Bytown Citizen, forerunner of The Ottawa portrait, from The Ottawa Naturalist, February 1901). Citizen), a lawyer and finally, Canada’s first profes- sional paleontologist. Indeed, this latter science was his true calling and he came to be known as “the father dian Geological Survey, however, permanently ended of Canadian paleontology” (Whiteaves 1876; Clarke his Ottawa connection (Zaslow 1975). 1971). He presumably was involved in the aforemen- Elkanah Billings’ older brother, Braddish Billings Jr. tioned Silurian Society, but no direct evidence of that (1819-1871), completes the trio of Ottawa’s pioneer was found. The Bytown Citizen was full of natural his- resident naturalists. Braddish was a keen botanist and tory items during Billings’s tenure (1852-1856), mostly used his position as chief clerk on the Prescott & Otta- representing accounts of his own observations or text wa Railway to gain access to a wide variety of habitats reprinted from European or American publications. across eastern Ontario. Although he published nothing These publication activities led directly to his produc- during this time and relatively little even later, in 1868 tion in Ottawa of Ontario’s first natural science journal, he did produce the first list of vascular plants for the The Canadian Naturalist and Geologist, in February city of Ottawa. It was a superb effort for its day, chron- 1856 (Figure 2). Delightful and insightful articles in icling over 400 species that he found within close that first volume such as “On the species of woodpeck- proximity to the City in 1866 (Dore 1968). Billings ers observed in the vicinity of Ottawa” (Billings 1856) was seen as a distinguished figure in natural history were based on his extensive travels in the Ottawa investigations in the Ottawa Valley in the 1860s; like Valley. They demonstrated both excellent powers of his younger brother Elkanah, Braddish was widely observation and a keen appreciation of the importance consulted by natural science researchers elsewhere in of documenting the appearance and constitution of Canada (Dore 1968). original landscape conditions. His move to Montreal The days of exclusively private investigation of the later that year to join Sir William Logan at the Cana- Ottawa Valley natural environment ended in the early 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 3

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 3

by the continuing search for the ill-fated Third Frank- lin Expedition. The United States Civil War and the accompanying ferocious slavery debate raged uncom- fortably close to the south, as did intense arguments in the Old World regarding the newly published (1859) “heresies” of Charles Darwin’s On the origin of spe- cies. Closer to home, Ottawa was a bustling, rapidly growing city of approximately 15 000 people which boasted but a single operating sewer line along Welling- ton Street in front of the new Parliament Buildings. The first railway train had puffed into town fewer than ten years earlier and a municipal drinking-water system was still 12 years off (Brault 1946; Eggleston 1961). Ottawa was very much straddling the line between pioneer lumber town and developing political centre.

The Ottawa Natural History Society (1863- 1869) It is against this backdrop that a veritable “Who’s- who” of the new business and professional elite of Confederation-era Ottawa (notably including both the aforementioned Edward Van Cortlandt and Braddish Billings Jr.) assembled on 3 October 1863 to form the Ottawa Natural History Society (ONHS). These gentle- men Ð and the ONHS constitution made it clear that membership was open only to gentlemen Ð were very economically oriented. The original minute books maintained in the OFNC collection at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) records that they were “ … desireous to develope [sic] the Natural History of the Ottawa and general resources of the surrounding coun- try” (LAC OFNC Collection, 3 October 1863). Explor- ing and researching the natural sciences of the Ottawa Valley were all well and good but these gentlemen Ð FIGURE 2. The Canadian Naturalist and Geologist, first pub- lished in 1856 at the office of The Ottawa Citizen by at least initially Ð wanted to see a profit result from it. Elkanah Billings, and later continued in Montreal. An important aspect of the growth of such endeav- ours was the potential participation of the relatively large body of newly arrived civil servants (Brault 1946). 1860s with the transfer of the seat of government of the Activity within quasi-professional associations (it’s colony of Canada to Ottawa, heralded by the start of called “networking” today) was a very important un- construction of the new Parliament Buildings in 1860 official avenue for professional advancement within the (Eggleston 1961). This represented a mega-project with small professional community of public servants in the huge economic benefits to local businesses. Similarly, Capital at this time (Gwyn 1984). The ONHS offered the 1863 transfer of some 300 bright, educated, and rel- such an outlet and avenue for civil servants interested atively financially secure members of the civil service in natural resources and natural environment issues. from the old capital represented both economic and A definite pecking order mirroring that of their profes- social opportunities for the city and the Ottawa Valley. sional relationships was soon evident amongst found- Confederation-era city business and social leaders ing ONHS members who were also senior civil ser- quickly embraced the idea of broadening and deepen- vants. When powerful Finance Department Deputy ing the intellectual resources of the community. In Minister John Langton (1808-1894) was ONHS Presi- furtherance of this, they encouraged the development dent in the late 1860s, for example, his ambitious sub- of various clubs and societies to enhance the prestige ordinate, Interior Department Deputy Minister Edmund and intellectual capacity befitting the new capital (Brault Meredith (1817-1898), was conspicuously involved in 1946; Gwyn 1984). the organization, but was careful not to hold higher It is useful to consider how really rough and ready office nor to publicly disagree with Langton (Gwyn Ottawa and the larger world were in 1863. The Arctic 1984). The social/political significance of the organi- was still largely unknown to Europeans and North zation, over and above the fact that 77 men paid the Americans alike but was being charted with great speed $1.00 membership fee for 1863/1864, can also be meas- 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 4

4THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

ured by the prominent involvement of individuals such as Sir James A. Grant (1831-1920), the Governor Gen- eral’s personal physician (Travill 1988) (LAC OFNC Collection, 3 October 1863). The ONHS members chose widely appreciated and politically-neutral Braddish Billings Jr. as their first president, although he was not very active in subse- quent Society affairs (LAC OFNC Collection, 3 Oc- December 1869 tober 1863 Ð 28 October 1864). The Council (Board of Directors) soon established a schedule for regular meetings and made arrangements for the development of “The Cabinet”, a series of cases displaying natural history specimens which were to be held in the rooms they rented at the Mechanics Institute building on Sparks Street. Van Cortlandt was elected museum curator for the Society and remained in that position throughout the life of the organization. Although precise records are sketchy, records at Library and Archives Canada indicate that the Society met regularly for lectures and field trips. The last Saturday of each month was fixed for the latter (LAC OFNC Collection, 28 April 1865), during which mem- bers actively searched for natural history specimens for The Cabinet. Indeed, this seemed to be a major focus of the organization (Dore 1968). In October 1869, only months before the organization’s amalgamation with the Mechanics Institute, Braddish Billings offered his herbarium to the ONHS for $60 (LAC OFNC Collec- tion, 1 October 1869). Although no supporting motion for such a purchase is noted, Billings’s collection did end up there (it may have been deposited after his death), and was examined in the OLSS museum in the 1880s (Fletcher 1888). Unfortunately, the OLSS herbar- ium, including the Billings’s specimens, disappeared th White*

sometime in the early 20 century (Dore 1968). J. Langton* The ONHS seems to have been most active between W. 1865 and 1867 and to have achieved considerable standing in the community. In 1866 a group met with federal Minister Thomas Darcy McGee to discuss a possible ONHS Ð Mechanics Institute exhibit in the 1867 Paris Exhibition (LAC OFNC Collection, 26 April 1866). Their paths had crossed before, in Que- bec City in 1862-1863, McGee had lectured to the Quebec Literary and Historical Society along with both E. A. Meredith and John Langton. And while the subject of his speech was not recorded, the Governor General apparently spoke to the Society shortly there- after (LAC OFNC Collection, 25 May 1866). Within a month of Confederation an ONHS delegation led by

President N. B. Webster lobbied Prime Minister John D. Laughlin* J. Ogilvie F. J. Thorburn* J. Thorburn* A. Macdonald to have the Geological Survey Museum 1863/1864 1864/1865 1865/1866 1866/1867 1867/1868 1868/1869 September- moved to Ottawa from Montreal (LAC OFNC Collec- tion, 26 July 1867) – possibly the first such initiative in the lengthy campaign to effect such a transfer (Zaslow 1975). Similarly, early concerns for habitat protection and landscape conservation were discussed amongst the

Society’s influential membership through presentations Natural History Society (1863 to 1869) 1. Elected positions of Ottawa ice-PresidentThorburn J. Thorburn J. A. Phillipps J. J. LangtonA. Meredith E. A. Grant J. Thorburn J. ice-President N.B. Webster George Hay Austin* T. J. A. Phillipps J. A. Phillipps E. A. Meredith J. A. Grant V like Vice-President Thomas Austin’s lecture “The Ul- V reasurer J. Featherstone*A. Grant* J. J. Ogilvie J. Ogilvie J. Ogilvie J. Ogilvie J. Ogilvie ABLE Secretary st nd * held position for a portion of the year 2 President1 B. Billings Jr.Webster N.B. Webster N.B. Webster N.B. J. Langton J. LangtonA. Meredith E. T Corresponding n/a n/a n/a D. Dodd A. Harvey A. Harvey D. LeSueur W. SecretaryAustin* T. Austin T. Daniel* T. White W. White W. White W. White W. T OFNC Collection 3 October 1863 Ð 30 December 1869] [from LAC Curator Cortlandt E. Van Cortlandt E. Van Cortlandt E. Van Cortlandt E. Van Cortlandt E. Van Cortlandt E. Van Cortlandt E. Van 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 5

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 5

terior Effects of Clearing off the Forests and Draining Natural History Branch in particular. Nonetheless, the the Country” (LAC OFNC Collection, 26 April 1866). OLSS was a socially and culturally significant orga- While The Cabinet may not have survived, the Soci- nization in Victorian Ottawa by the end of the 1870s, ety left a more lasting (albeit, modest) record through supporting a regular lecture series, a public reading its publications program. It commenced in 1867 with a room and a lending library of 1100 volumes (LAC pamphlet on the possible economic uses of Milkweed OFNC Collection, OLSS brochure). Despite the larg- (Asclepias syriaca) by Alexander Kirkwood (1823- er city population, better local research resources and 1901) who, with the timely promotional assistance of the existence of a potential sponsoring organization, ONHS member and OFNC founder Henry B. Small however, there are few indications of more than indi- Sr. (1832-1919), would later be the driving force be- vidual efforts in natural science investigations in the hind the establishment of Ontario’s Algonquin Prov- Ottawa Valley. At the least, the momentum of the incial Park (Killan 1993). The ONHS published 250 1860s seems to have been stymied within the larger, copies of Kirkwood’s lecture (Kirkwood 1867). Ap- predominantly culturally-oriented OLSS. The stage was proval for the production of 250 copies of a lecture by set for a final transformation of the ineffective OLSS Van Cortlandt entitled “Native Compounds and Metal- Natural History Branch into a new and more produc- lurgy of Iron” was given by the Council the previous tive structure … an independent naturalist group. year but there is no evidence that a publication actually If the organization that morphed into the OFNC resulted (LAC OFNC Collection, 28 December 1866). actually began in October 1863, the final stage of its After a year of discussion and buoyed by the success of transformation was achieved with the cordial separa- the Kirkwood pamphlet, however, an ONHS Trans- tion of the Natural History Branch from the main body actions series was initiated. It was short lived, produc- of the OLSS in March 1879. It appears to have been ing only three numbers.1 a classic example of a group of activists becoming Faced with rising financial pressures (including the dissatisfied with the pace and effectiveness of a well- costs of renting rooms) and the opportunity to formally established group and deciding that the only way to combine resources (including a provincial operating achieve more contemporary goals was to strike out on grant), the ONHS decided in the spring of 1869 to their own. The fact that most of the prime movers and merge with the Mechanics Institute (LAC OFNC Col- shakers in the new organization were established mem- lection, 16 April 1869). The minutes books describe bers of the old OLSS and remained members for years surprisingly little of the ensuing discussion, but the thereafter, indicates that they retained faith with the Society did merge with the Institute to form the Ottawa original organization as a valuable forum for intellec- Literary and Scientific Society (OLSS) on 24 December tual development and social debate. Nonetheless, they 1869 (LAC OFNC Collection, 30 December 1869). The wanted to see more activity and greater opportunities ONHS Cabinet became the basis for the OLSS muse- being provided for natural environment investigations um, whose collections disappeared with the dissolution (Harrington 1909). of the Society in 1906-1907. Unpublished biological Once again, national and world affairs played an data were apparently also maintained in the Museum, important role in the development of naturalist organi- however, as indicated by later reference (containing zations in the Ottawa Valley. Canada was experiencing several errors in fact) being made to “lists published the early years of a serious economic downturn that by the Ottawa Natural History Society of 1859–63” lasted into the early 1890s (Eggleston 1961). At the (Small 1883). same time, the promise of this new country and the Although active for only a decade, the ONHS was political, social and economic difficulties of the Old critical in the awakening of interest in the organized World were encouraging huge numbers of young, rela- and documented investigation of natural sciences in the tively well-educated and mobile immigrants to enter Ottawa Valley. It bridged the gap from hit-and-miss Canada; some stayed and some moved on in this time personal interest to organized and semi-professional in- of social and economic upheaval. The decade follow- vestigation. It also initiated the concern for and partici- ing the founding of the OFNC, for example, saw the pation in larger issues of national science policy, re- highest number of both Canadian immigrants and emi- search priorities, and natural environment conservation grants of any time in the 19th century (Lingard 1967). which continue within the Ottawa naturalist commu- nity to the present day. Young Turks and Rebels (1878-1879) The group which gathered in March 1879 to con- The Ottawa Literary and Scientific Society sider a new natural history organization in Ottawa re- and OFNC formation (1870-1879) flected its times. This included a mix of Ottawa vet- The combination of the ONHS and the Mechanics erans enthusiastic about the future, as well as young, Institute appears to have been seamless, with the mem- newly-established civil servants, and British immigrants bers of the ONHS effectively becoming the Natural full of imperial fervour. They seem to have been imbued History Branch of the newly created OLSS. Little with Victorian optimism about the importance and documentation was found, however, concerning the re- strength of ideas, a missionary zeal for discovery and sulting organization in general and the activities of its the sharing of knowledge, and a strong desire to con- 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 6

6THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

tribute to their community (LAC OFNC Collection, who made it happen and saw to it that it became firm- 25 March 1879-15 December 1879). Some stayed on ly established (Harrington 1909; Whyte 1909).2 to become important participants in the exploration of The dynamic trio of young naturalists were not alone the Ottawa Valley natural environment while others fol- in this, and were joined by an eclectic mixture of OLSS lowed different paths elsewhere in Canada and beyond. members who also felt the need for an organization The founding meeting was called by James Fletcher focusing exclusively on natural sciences. Many were (1852-1908), OLSS museum curator since 1878 and prominent in the building of Ottawa and/or the federal an up-and-coming entomologist and botanist (Figure civil service of the new country (Brault 1946; Gywn 4). Fletcher had emigrated from England in 1874, mov- 1984). These included former ONHS officer and senior ing to Ottawa in 1875 to work as a clerk in the Bank of Post Office Department official William White (1830- British North America and joining the Parliamentary 1911) (Figure 3); lawyer and politician (later, Premier Library staff as an accounting clerk in 1876 (Cody et of British Columbia) Joseph Martin (1852-1923); for- al., 1986). He was a gregarious, personable, and phys- mer ONHS officer, teacher, and Geological Survey of ically active man who quickly became deeply involved Canada (GSC) librarian John Thorburn (1830-1904); in sporting and social activities. He was, for example, author and later Deputy Minister of the Interior Henry a keen snowshoe racer and a founder and principal Small Sr., and the OLSS president of the day, promi- player with the Ottawa Football Club, a rugby team nent literary patron and Secretary (Deputy-Minister) which later evolved into the Ottawa Rough Riders Can- of the Post Office Department, William D. LeSueur adian Football League team (Harrington 1909). He was (1840-1917) (LAC OFNC Collection, 25 March 1879). also a pillar of the Anglican Church community in As noted earlier, the social and political prominence Ottawa and remained so throughout his life. And, while of members was important to the success of such or- being a young man with shallow Ottawa roots, his so- ganizations in Victorian Ottawa (Gywn 1984). This cial profile, and thus influence, improved dramatically early naturalist community (Table 2) was small and when he married Eleanor Schreiber (daughter of Sir remarkably homogenous, dominated by white, English- Collingwood Schreiber, Chief Engineer of the Canadian speaking, Anglo-Saxon protestants who worked, lived Pacific Railway and later Chief Engineer of the Depart- and even were buried in close proximity. Overwhelm- ment of Railway and Canals) in 1879. ingly, the children of most early club leaders were Fletcher’s enthusiasm, intelligence, and boundless enrolled in the Ottawa Collegiate Institute (MacMillan energy quickly became known to the small group of et al. 1904), and numerous Club officers – including active field naturalists already resident in Ottawa and he almost two dozen former Presidents Ð are buried at was eagerly sought out (Whyte 1909). Chief amongst Beechwood Cemetery. Beechwood, appropriately these field associates and life-long friends were Robert enough, was also a favoured 19th Century OFNC ex- B. Whyte (1851-1918), an Ottawa-born private busi- cursion site (Reddoch 1979c). nessman and passionate horticulturalist (Macoun 1918) (Figure 5). The other was William (Will) H. Harring- Founding Meeting (25 March 1879) ton (1852-1918), a skilled entomologist and botanist The special meeting of OLSS Natural History who moved from Nova Scotia in 1870 and spent his Branch members was called to order in the OLSS 1 entire working career with the federal post office museum at 112 ⁄2 Sparks Street by James Fletcher (Fig- department (Gibson 1918). While Whyte is credited ure 4) on 25 March 1879.3 It seems that the politics with the idea of an Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club, of Victorian Ottawa immediately intervened, however, as Fletcher is universally credited with being the fellow William White (Figure 3) and R. J. Wicksteed moved

TABLE 2. Participants at inaugural meeting of the OFNC, 25 March 1879 (LAC OFNC Collection, 25 March 1879).

W. P. Anderson L. A. Hamilton Dr. Ross E. D. Arnaud W. H. Harrington H. B. Small Sr. Prof. George Baptie G. Heron H. B. Small Jr. W. R. Billings G. A. D. Jones P. D. Symms W. Chesterton E. V. Johnson John Thorburn* L. H. Chrysler W. D. LeSueur* H. Watters R. A. Davy J. Martin W. White* James Fletcher B. Monk R. B. Whyte J. M. Greta S. McLaughlin* R. J. Wicksteed* J. MacD. Gordon Prof. W.R. Riddell A. P. Wright J. A. Guignard C. J. Ripley D. Horsey P. Robertson *member of ONHS (1863-1869) 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 7

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 7

group “ … would gladly contribute to the Museum of the OL & S Society and thereby revive its present dormant condition”. In exchange, they asked that the OFNC be allowed to use the OLSS rooms for meetings. An additional clause asking that the new organization be “under the auspices” of the OLSS was an apparent face-saving offer, since the OFNC had virtually noth- ing further to do with OLSS programs.4 The resolution was passed by the OLSS Council, though there likely was little else they could do, being presented with such a fait accompli. There may have been a good bit of bluff on the part of Fletcher and his associates, however, since the Club did not in fact exist on 11 March when the motion was drafted! If this was not-too-subtle political manipulation by the newcomers, the old guard may well have reaped a bit of revenge in the election of OFNC officers which followed immediately thereafter. William White, long- time Ottawa resident, former Mechanics Institute pres- ident and ONHS member, was elected President. It is not recorded in the Minute Books if the officer positions were contested that day, as was often the case in the first years of the organization. Likely more important than being an ONHS veteran, White was a senior Post Office Department official and was socially prominent as Lieutenant-Colonel of the Governor General’s Foot

FIGURE 3. Lieutenant-Colonel William White, May 1901. White was the first president of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club, and also the Ottawa Horticultural Society. Earlier he was president of the Ottawa Athenaeum and Mech- anical Institute. Photographer William James Topley, Ottawa, archived at the Library and Archives of Can- ada, Ottawa: E 81666).

that fellow ONHS veteran John Thorburn chair the meeting. Perhaps to counter this old guard move, new- comers Joseph Martin and Henry B. Small Jr. subse- quently moved that Fletcher be made Secretary of the meeting. The social pecking order apparently satisfied, Fletcher then got discussion under way (LAC OFNC Collection, 25 March 1879). After some debate of whether to stay affiliated with the OLSS or to form a separate group, the actual mo- tion to establish an independent OFNC was moved by Joseph Martin (seconded by R. B. Whyte): “… that it is advisable to form a Field Naturalists Club for the City of Ottawa and do proceed to organize”. It was only after this motion had been passed that Fletcher reported to the gentlemen assembled that a small group (consisting of at least James Fletcher, Will Harrington, R. B. Whyte (Figure 5), Joseph Martin, and Henry Small Jr.) had actually held preliminary consultations on 11 March 1879 to prepare a proposal

to the Council of the OLSS Ð and no doubt, to map FIGURE 4. James Fletcher in June 1908. He called the founding out strategies. At that preliminary meeting they had meeting of The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club and was drafted a motion (Fletcher, seconded by H. B. Small the prime architect of its early success. Photogra- Jr.) that in light of “… an Ottawa-Field Naturalists pher William James Topley, Ottawa, archived at the Club having been organized in Ottawa…”, this new Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa C96620). 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 8

8THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

Guards (Shutt 1912; Anonymous 1929). His election, bership as being open to both “ladies and gentlemen however, may very well have also been the wish of the desiring to join the Club” (LAC OFNC Collection, 8 newcomers since White’s Rideau Hall connections April 1979).5 made the important task of securing the agreement of There were 25 OFNC Council and public meetings the Governor General to serve as Club Patron that held in 1879/1880, the busy first year of the newly much easier. independent Club. Most of the public meetings were The minutes of the founding meeting (LAC OFNC in the form of somewhat informal soirées in which Collection, 25 March 1879) are very sparse in detail. lectures were followed by opportunities for debate and As Secretary, James Fletcher would have produced a conversation. Through this year the Council addressed hand-written record of events. The preserved minutes numerous details of the developing organization in- are in the handwriting of R. B. Whyte, however, indi- cluding the arrangement of Vice-regal patronage, the cating that Fletcher’s record of events was rewritten. establishment of an active excursion program, the The development of this simplified record could per- selection of the first OFNC Corresponding Member haps have allowed for the tactful omission of politically (John Macoun [1831-1920]) (Brunton and Gummer delicate matters such as contested positions and/or 1987), and recognition of the importance of “public heated exchanges. education” (the first glimmers of conservation action?). In any event, James Fletcher was elected First Vice- James Fletcher was everywhere in this, conducting ex- President and the Council and Officer positions were cursions, conducting and documenting field research, filled by other young rebels (R. B. Whyte, Henry B. and handling many logistical details. President White Small Jr., W. H. Harrington, and Joseph Martin) or chaired 12 of the meetings that year, only a few more neutral figures (W. R. Riddell and J. A. Guignard) than Fletcher, who oversaw nine because of the presi- (Appendix 1). Only one Council position was filled dent’s frequent absence (LAC OFNC Collection, 1879- by a White associate, William P. Anderson (1852- 1880). 1927), who also later became Lieutentant-Colonel of The establishment of various scientific working com- the Governor General’s Foot Guards (Small 1929). mittees (botany, ornithology, geology, etc.) generated As it turned out, however, Fletcher essentially ran the a great deal of interest and field activity within the affairs of the OFNC in 1879 and 1880, with White Ottawa District6,resulting in considerable natural en- playing a very low-key role. vironment information being gathered. Membership grew to almost 100. The influence of Lieutentant- Earliest Days (1879 Ð 1880) Colonel White and others secured the patronage of The first Council meeting of the new Club was held the Governor General and made OFNC membership under the chairmanship of William White on the after- socially desirable. This was aided by the membership noon of 3 April 1879 in the Museum of the OLSS within the first year of prominent individuals like the (LAC OFNC Collection, 3 April 1879). It was fol- previously-mentioned Governor General’s personal lowed almost immediately by another, longer session physician, Sir James Grant; the founder of the Central at the home of William Anderson on 5 April 1879 to Experimental Farm research institution, Sir William prepare details for a formal members’ General Meet- Saunders (1836-1914) (Anstey 1988; Cody et al., ing the following Tuesday (8 April 1879) and to accept 1986); and prominent scientist, engineer, and inventor the resignation from the Council and from the Club of Sir Sandford Fleming (1827-1915) (Regehr 1988). J. A. Guignard. No reasons were given for the speedy The lectures delivered at the Soirées were well and rather dramatic resignation of Guignard but des- received, leading to requests for their publication for pite being James Fletcher’s assistant at the Experi- the benefit of members and other interested parties mental Farm from 1891 onward, he did not ever re- alike. The March 1880 Council meeting established join the Club. He did, however, function as Acting that a transaction of the OFNC’s first year be produced. Editor of The Ottawa Naturalist for several months Five hundred copies of that first Transactions were in 1903 (Brunton 1986a). published for a cost of $78.43, likely in June 1880 The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club first met public- (Brunton 1986a) (Figure 8). In appreciation of his ly on 8 April 1879 under the chairmanship of James production of the lithographed plates for the publica- Fletcher with about 25 members in attendance in the tion at no cost, the Council granted Club membership Museum of the OLSS. Operational rules for the Club for the year to J. A. Guignard Ð the same gentleman were described, a Corresponding Members (Honorary who had resigned from the Council as well as from Member) designation was identified, an active excur- Club membership, only days after the Club had been sion program was laid out, and a membership fee formed (LAC OFNC Collection, 28 July 1880). This (50¢ per annum) was established. The fee was half was done again in 1882 for additional gratis litho- that established by the ONHS 16 years earlier, presum- graphic services, so it appears that whatever difficulty ably in an effort to keep membership in the OFNC Guignard had with being on the Council and being a more affordable for the general public. And also un- voluntary Club member, he was prepared to receive like the ONHS, the OFNC specifically identified mem- and work for the publication. 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 9

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 9

strides were being made in the exploration and under- standing of the natural biodiversity of the Ottawa Valley. Transfer of the Geological Survey of Canada from Montreal to Ottawa in 1880 (Zaslow 1975) and with it, many of the top natural scientists in Canada, pro- vided a major boost to the OFNC. So too did the 1882 arrival of John Macoun (Macoun 1922). Through their network of professional connections, Macoun and other scientists at “The Museum”, as it was known, also provided an important link between OFNC members and national and international floral and faunal au- thorities. Despite becoming increasingly preoccupied with professional duties after he became Dominion Entomologist and Botanist in 1886 (Cody et al., 1986) and being troubled by serious eyesight problems for a period of time (LAC OFNC Collection, 17 March 1885), James Fletcher remained an inspirational and hands-on leader within the OFNC throughout the 1880s and 1890s. Club membership had more than doubled to 254 by 1899 (Figure 6). This was due to both local and wider- scale influences. On the local front, OFNC excursions became major social events and major generators of additional interest in the organization (Reddoch 1979c). These were often huge events, with trains being char- tered to take upwards of 300 participants on day-long trips. Fortunately, many sites now well within the urban FIGURE 5. Robert B. Whyte, (June 1908), was first secretary- core of the National Capital Region were in close to treasurer and later president of the Ottawa Field- original condition then and became prime locations for Naturalists’ Club. Photographer William James Topley, many formal and informal outings. Chief amongst these Ottawa, archived at the Library and Archives of Can- ada, Ottawa: C 105521). were Lac Leamy, Fairy Lake, and Wychwood (Aylmer) in Gatineau, and Rockcliffe Park, Beechwood Ceme- tery and the Billings Bridge (Rideau River) area in Publication of the Transactions was the first step Ottawa. Further afield, the huge Mer Bleue peat bog in a renowned publication program that, to date, has and Casselman to the east, and King Mountain and produced seven annual Transactions of The Ottawa Chelsea to the north offered “exotic” destinations that Field-Naturalists’ Club, almost 120 volumes of The were visited repeatedly (Reddoch 1979c). Ottawa Naturalist/The Canadian Field-Naturalist and In striking contrast to the early to mid-19th century almost 40 volumes of Trail & Landscape. Complete days of the ONHS and its predecessors, these efforts sets of The Canadian Field-Naturalist and its prede- were well documented in OFNC publications. The cessors are rare, however, particularly so in private annual Transactions, modelled on the Transactions libraries. Likely fewer than a dozen complete sets of the Manchester Field-Naturalists’ Society (Brunton exist in Canada. The Transactions are especially rare 1986a), were produced through much of the 1880s. publications, several of which became unavailable Each Transactions reproduced Club lectures delivered within a few years of publication. Only 75 copies of during the previous year. More importantly, they includ- Transactions 1 were still available by early 1884, for ed annual reports of various committees highlighting example (LAC OFNC Collection, 12 March 1884), the field discoveries of members. The Transactions and only “virtually complete sets” were being sold (for thus provided the first documentation of a variety of $24) by 1909 (LAC OFNC Collection, 23 February comprehensive lists of Ottawa area flora and fauna, 1909). such as birds (White and Scott 1882), vascular plants (Fletcher 1880), and fish (Small 1883). Against these, The Late Victorians (1880s-1890s) individual members could compare and direct their own The OFNC was a huge hit at the height of the Vic- field investigations and discoveries. Fletcher’s serial- torian era in Ottawa. Aided by improved transportation ized, annotated revision of the 1880 list of vascular flora Ð most particularly, the expansion of railways up the was produced over many years thereafter, providing a Ottawa and Gatineau Valleys Ð and the continued continuing enumeration of new discoveries and poten- growth of both the federal civil service and the city tial exploration sites for OFNC members (Boivin and (exploding to 60 000 by 1899 Ð Brault 1946), huge Cody 1955). 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 10

10 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

After seven annual Transactions had been produced, role are indicated by Council’s November 1887 rejec- there were increasing calls for a more frequently tion of a gift of biological specimens from Corres- appearing publication. This was particularly important ponding Member and American entomologist Henry for the description of new species (LaRocque 1931), Edwards (1830-1891) (Fletcher 1891). The Council the first being a new fossil which had been described (with both John Macoun and James Fletcher present) in Transactions 2 by Sir James Grant (Grant 1881). suggested that the potential donor should offer the At the March 1887 Annual Meeting members agreed plant specimens to the herbarium of the Central Exper- to initiate a monthly publication series which could imental Farm (DAO) which had recently been started move beyond the simple publication of Club lectures by Fletcher and is now the largest collection in Canada and reports. This was over the objections of W. P. (Rothfels 2003); they further suggested that Edwards’s Anderson, the current OLSS President, who had com- insect specimens be offered to the Geological Survey plained the previous fall of OFNC “antagonism” to- Museum (LAC OFNC Collection, 18 November wards the old Society (see above); he wanted the 1887). There was no discussion of a donation to the Transactions to stay as they were (LAC OFNC Collec- OLSS collection, nor of initiating an OFNC museum tion, 14 March 1887). or cabinet. Neither, it appears, was deemed appropri- The first issue of The Ottawa Naturalist was pub- ate in light of the existence of these growing, pro- lished in April 1887 under the editorship of Will Har- fessionally based research collections. rington, who also had headed up the editorial com- By the end of the 19th century, the personality of mittee which produced the last (1886) volume of the the Club had also evolved considerably. The OFNC Transactions (Brunton 1986a). The Ottawa Naturalist was now administratively well established and boasted was a small (21 × 14 cm), slim (16 page) publication a program of regular meetings and excursions. It en- produced on a shoe-string budget (150 copies at $18.50 joyed a strong reputation for community involvement, per issue) (LAC OFNC Collection, 10 March 1887). produced a steady stream of field-based scientific find- Even then, such a cost was considered a financial dif- ings, and even demonstrated a measure of political ficulty for the Club (Harrington 1887) but was off-set prominence with Laurier government cabinet minis- to some degree by the sale of advertising space on the ters and future provincial Lieutenant-Governors as back cover. These advertisements included notices to members. The parent organization from which it had such “critical” products and services for the attention split off, on the other hand, was in serious decline and and consideration of Ottawa naturalists as G. W. only a few years from dissolution. The young turks who McCullough’s Anthracite and Bituminous Coal, C. had rescued the OFNC from the moribund OLSS Ross & Co.’s “Beautiful selection of Dress Silks being Natural History Branch were middle aged and well offered at 75¢ per yard”, and Miss Harmon’s Board- established now, a number having become respected ing and Day School for Young Ladies. senior scientists and policy makers. The Ottawa Nat- Not only the advertisements may have met with uralist remained a monthly publication but had grown amusement or disapproval in the eyes of some. In 1888 in size and enjoyed much improved printing quality. the always feisty John Macoun expressed the opinion Articles often now were accompanied by illustrations, that “too much trash was now published”, and that these sometimes being photographic. The Ottawa Nat- “the majority of papers were of little or no value …”; uralist was gaining a wider readership too, with articles that the accounts of Excursions were “all but worth- addressing subjects considerably further afield than less”. It is not recorded what Editor Will Harrington the Ottawa Valley, such as the review of the status of might have thought upon hearing this (he undoubtedly bird species in King’s County, Nova Scotia (Tufts was present), but OFNC president R. B. Whyte was 1898; 1899a; 1899b). not amused by Macoun’s intemperance. Whyte stated But portents of future conflicts and a growing diver- that he “ … wished to record his expression as direct- gence of visions could be sensed. Founder and Past- ly opposite [Macoun’s] and thought the publication president R. B. Whyte, for example, complained about was of much interest to the members” (LAC OFNC the Nova Scotia bird articles. He felt The Ottawa Nat- Collection, 9 March 1888). uralist should not be publishing material so far removed Regardless of the reservations of people such as from the Ottawa area. Botanist James M. Macoun William Anderson and John Macoun, The Ottawa (1862-1920) and geologist Henry Ami (1858-1931) Naturalist established a new standard for the timely disagreed, suggesting that the Club publication fulfilled presentation of technically sound, original scientific an important role here. Other new members support- information which has continued seamlessly to the ed Macoun and Ami and called for a greater number present day. Its launch, however, was also far from the of rigorously scientific, more broadly based articles to last time controversy and disagreement would charac- be included in the publication (LAC OFNC Collection, terize discussion and debate about OFNC publications! 14 March 1899). Both the growth in local capacity for natural envi- In other words, a new group of younger, more vig- ronment research and the evolving vision of the Club’s orous, field-oriented naturalists – including a number 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 11

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 11

1700 1600 1500 1400 1300 1200 1100 1000 900 800 700

Number of Members 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 1886 1898 1910 1922 1934 1946 1958 1970 1880 1892 1904 1916 1928 1940 1952 1964 Year

FIGURE 6. Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club membership trend, 1879/1880 to 1974. Membership lists until 1971 (published in The Canadian Field-Naturalist until the early 1950s and/or reported in published Annual Reports) included all addressees to which The Canadian Field-Naturalist was sent. After 1971, however, the membership totals exclude non-voting subscribers and thus are no longer directly comparable to earlier numbers. Where gaps on the membership data occurred, such as when no lists or Annual Reports were published in some years in the 1920s, an intermediate estimate was entered.

FIGURE 7. A geological field trip of The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club along a railway rock cut north of Chelsea Grove in the Gatineau region of Quebec, north of Ottawa. The area’s oldest and youngest deposits are in direct contact here. The trip leader was Dr. Henry Ami. From Trail & Landscape 13(3): 94; prepared from a lantern slide original by Dr. Ami, now in the Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa. 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 12

12 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

Queen Victoria in 1901. The OFNC pioneers, after all, were either originally emigrants from Great Britain or were locally-born in colonial times. The black-edge, memorial issue of The Ottawa Naturalist in February 1901 (Figure 9) expressed in its frontispiece tribute the heart-felt distress at the passing of an era: “In com- mon with all the sorrowing subjects of His Imperial Majesty King Edward the Seventh the members of The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club desire to record their deep sense of sorrow and loss at the demise of their beloved Sovereign Lady, Queen Victoria, during whose glorious reign of sixty-four years, scientific work and original research, such as our Club aims to accom- plish, have received unprecedented impetus”. Quite so! But Victoria was not the only recent loss mourned by the Club in the new days of the new century. In the Victoria Memorial edition, in fact, President Henry Ami laments the February 1899 “early demise of our friend and fellow member, the sweet poet of Ottawa, Archibald Lampman ….[whose] ardent love of Nature and all she teaches in lake, forest, in autumn, in winter, in sorrow, in comfort, led him into those numberless nooks and sequestered spots which enchant the eye, please the mind and entrance the soul” (Ami 1901). Just to be sure that the readers not think the Club had become overwhelmed by anthropocentric concerns, Ami went on in his address to eulogize a major scientific personality … the aforementioned Elkanah Billings who had played such an important role in the founding of scientific natural environment investi- gation in the Ottawa Valley in the first place. Ami further announced that the Club has commissioned a FIGURE 8. The initial issue of The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ portrait of the late Mr. Billings and was donating it to Club Transactions, the initial annual publication series 7 of The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club. the Geological Survey Museum (Figure 1). Shortly after Ami’s address, the Council established a com- mittee to co-ordinate with “different societies affiliated with the Royal Society of Canada” lobbying of the of the first wave of trained professional biologists to federal government for the construction of a National work in the federal government Ð were becoming Museum (LAC OFNC Collection, 13 February 1900). prominent in the organization, changing things, and Was this the genesis of the undertaking which resulted arguing for a more national perspective. This was not in the completion and occupation of the magnificent entirely to the liking of at least some of the long- Victoria Memorial Museum building in 1910-1911? established Club leadership. The situation must have In any event, the Club officers were clearly aiming for had ironic echos for the elders of the Club like Whyte, a balance between the scientific investigation of the Harrington, Small, and Fletcher, for in the days natural environment and the encouragement/enhance- leading up to the founding of the Club they were the ment of public awareness of the importance of such “young turks” eager for change! concerns. A growing OFNC interest in and emphasis on en- Memorials and the Great War (1900-1915) couraging public awareness and appreciation of natural Despite the economic trials of much of the late Vic- sciences is shown by the active promotion of involve- torian era, it was a positive period of establishment, ment by the students and staff of the Ottawa Normal growth and achievement for the OFNC. By the turn of School (teachers college) during the early years of the the 20th century, it had become one of the largest and 20th century. This was the dawning of “environmental most prominent such organizations in Canada. Events education” in North America and the Club seemed of the next decade and a half would sorely test that enthusiastically involved, particularly through the status, however. school. At least five members of the OFNC Council Symbolic of the coming of age of the OFNC and worked at the school in this time, including Vice- the end of its establishment period was the death of Principal S. B. Sinclair. Sinclair served in various Club 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 13

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 13

capacities during this period, including OFNC 1905- 1906 President (Appendix 1). Not everyone shared this positive view of environ- mental education within the Normal School and Ottawa public schools. A lengthy debate was held amongst key Club members early in 1905 on the difficulties and obstacles of this undertaking. In his characteristically direct way John Macoun declared “it to be his con- viction that Nature Study would soon be consigned to the limbo of exploded educational fads” (Attwood 1905). Nonetheless, the Club remained formally in- volved in such school programs for years thereafter. OFNC excursions also remained popular public events, with over 200 people attending each of the general excursions into the Gatineau Hills in May and September 1902; tickets were 30¢ for adults, 15¢ for children, including the cost of the day-long, char- tered train trip (LAC OFNC Collection, 13 May 1902). Among the participants of the 6 September 1902 ex- cursion was Normal School Vice-Principal Sinclair “who was accompanied by about 100 Normal School students” (LAC OFNC Collection, 6 September 1902). One might cynically question if all 100 would have been willing participants in their principal’s venture. By the early 1900s, however, the Club was not nearly so involved in original field-oriented research in the Ottawa Valley as it had been one to two decades before. There seemed to be a sense that “we pretty much know it all now” as research reported in the pages of The Ottawa Naturalist grew increasingly more national in scope. A greater sense of conservation con- FIGURE 9. The Queen Victoria Memorial issue of The Ottawa cern was developing, however, with the first formal Naturalist. conservation action being initiated when the Council approved a motion by the Ornithology Committee for an OFNC petition calling upon the federal government used, however, as the members with significant sci- to promote the preservation of shorebird-breeding wet- entific questions typically had access to the growing land habitat in the newly established prairie provinces institutional libraries at the Museum or “The Farm” (LAC OFNC Collection, 7 April 1908). It was a tenta- (as the research centre at the Central Experimental tive step (an article in that month’s issue of The Farm was Ð and still is Ð known). Arrangements were Ottawa Naturalist also provided a prescription for a made in 1909 to move the library into the Ottawa Public “better” Timber Wolf poison [Anonymous 1908]). Library where it would be maintained as a stand-alone Nonetheless, it initiated a long history of conserva- collection (LAC OFNC Collection, 22 June 1909). Pre- tion action and achievement for which the Club has dictably, the Ottawa Public Library eventually tired of been widely honoured and of which the Club can be the cost and effort of such an arrangement. Faced with justifiably proud. no other realistic options for its maintenance, in 1917 Since its founding, the OFNC had elected a Librarian the OFNC donated the collection to the OPL, asking and maintained a natural history library. There were only that such material be labelled as a Club gift (LAC regular reports in Council minutes of titles of the in- OFNC Collection, 8 March 1917).8 Curiously, the posi- coming scientific literature received in exchange for tion of OFNC Librarian lasted longer than the library, The Ottawa Naturalist or as a professional courtesy being eliminated only in a constitutional change two to individual OFNC members. By 1904, however, it years later (LAC OFNC Collection, 15 January 1919). was becoming a problem due to the logistical challenge James Fletcher retired from the Council in the spring of housing and caring for the collection in donated of 1905, after having filled almost every conceivable space (LAC OFNC Collection, 15 March 1904). In 1906 position in the Club and working for it in so many the library consisted of “some 350 bound volumes other ways throughout its first quarter century. The occupying about 70 feet of shelf space” as well as event passed with remarkably little fanfare. Such a many unbound volumes (LAC OFNC Collection, 26 low-key exit for such a pivotal figure was likely Flet- February 1906). The collection seemed to be little cher’s own doing, however, as indicated by the very 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 14

14 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

different reaction to his sudden and unexpected death Club could no longer afford to publish monthly (LAC on 8 November 1908. OFNC Collection, 18 December 1911). Although moving along well with an active publi- There were calls for Ð and a dire need of Ð new cation, excursions, and environmental education pro- blood in the organization and President Alexander gram, the Club was clearly devastated by the loss of McNeill suggested establishment of “ … a junior Fletcher on both an organizational and, for many key branch for the boys. He referred to the success of the Club people, a personal level. A number of Club boy scouts but objected to the military spirit associated founders and luminaries had died earlier, such as with it” (LAC OFNC Collection, 12 March 1912). OFNC 1892-1895 President George Dawson (1849- Ironic words less than two years before the outbreak 1901), but no one personified the enthusiasm, idealism, of World War I. Nothing came of this for many years, and commitment of the Club as did James Fletcher. A however, until the founding of the Macoun Field Club memorial number of The Ottawa Naturalist was pro- (see “Post-war Boom (late 1940s-1965)”, below). duced in January 1909, reproducing the many insight- The Ottawa Naturalist seemed similarly to be some- ful and heart-felt tributes delivered by professional what unfocussed, publishing a relatively large number and personal colleagues alike at a special memorial of paleontological papers and natural environment event held on 1 December 1908. The presentations of investigations and reports from afar but with the few Club co-founders R. B. Whyte and Will Harrington local contributions increasingly confined to popular were remarkably emotional presentations under such topics. A review article on the horrors of Poison-ivy stiff, proper Edwardian circumstances. Will Harring- allergic reactions provides an example, reminding ton’s tribute in particular (Harrington 1909) is quite any potentially afflicted reader that “ … nothing is capable of tugging heart strings for contemporary better than the old-fashioned lead and opium lotion readers a century removed from that time. With the …” to relieve the itching (Macnamara 1912). exception of an unfortunately self-promoting speech The notable exception to this was the effort to devel- by John Macoun, all contributors that night were clear- op an active environmental protection and bird con- ly bursting to express their appreciation for the man, servation program, led by Gordon Hewitt (1885-1920). for his contribution to the Club and for his contribu- Hewitt was Fletcher’s replacement as Dominion Ento- tion to his chosen country. mologist (in 1909) and like him, was a dynamic, per- Individual Club members were encouraged to con- sonable English immigrant (Criddle 1920). During tribute to a Fletcher Memorial Fund for the construc- his few years in Canada he played an important role tion of a memorial drinking fountain to be placed in North American natural sciences and conservation near Fletcher’s former work site at The Farm. It was matters, including being the lead Canadian official in quickly oversubscribed, having accumulated over the development of the 1916 Migratory Birds Con- $1800 by early 1910 when construction of the memo- vention, before dying at a tragically young age in the rial began (LAC OFNC Collection, 15 March 1910). post-war influenza epidemic (Foster 1978). Likely be- A bronze likeness of Fletcher was created by famous ing assisted by his socially prominent position as the sculptor (and athletic community associate?) R. Tait husband of Prime Minister Bordon’s niece, he suc- McKenzie and affixed to the fountain. The fountain, cessfully lobbied both the Ottawa Improvement Com- with a descriptive plaque attached, was installed in mission (forerunner of the National Capital Commis- 1911. It remains along the south side of the NCC sion) and the Boy Scouts of Canada to become in- Scenic Drive in the Central Experiment Farm imme- volved in enhancement of migratory bird habitat (LAC diately east of the Canada Agriculture Museum. OFNC Collection, 17 February 1914). His crushing A memorial painting of James Fletcher was also load of professional responsibilities, however, limited commissioned with surplus funds from the Memorial the amount of time he was able to put into re-ener- Fund and hung in the Ottawa Public Library9 early the gizing the Club, even during his tenure as President following spring (LAC OFNC Collection, 12 March in the difficult war-time period of 1918-1919. 1912). It was officially unveiled by the federal Minis- As with so many cultural, social, and technical insti- ter of Agriculture, Sydney Fisher, who “specially dwelt tutions in Canada, the OFNC was devastated by events on [Fletcher’s] loveable qualities which had endeared surrounding Canadian involvement in World War I. him so much to all who came in contact with him” On top of their post-Fletcher era struggles, the burden (LAC OFNC Collection, 19 March 1912). of war-time logistics, costs, and priorities came close to It is likely no coincidence that a malaise seemed to destroying the OFNC. The Club ran deficits through settle over Club affairs in the following years. Few meet- the war years and for the first time in Club history, the ings of Council or Club excursions were conducted in steady rate of membership growth virtually stopped the 1909-1911 period and discussions were held about (Figure 7). A new focus and a new source of energy reducing the workload associated with The Ottawa were desperately needed. They came in the form of Naturalist, including publishing the journal only quar- another recent arrival in Ottawa, this one being a tall, terly.10 The Club operated at a deficit for the first time quiet, bearded architect turned ornithologist from in 1910/1911 (LAC OFNC Collection, 21 March 1911). southwestern Ontario who would turn the OFNC into In late 1911 Editor James Macoun reported that the a national institution. 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 15

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 15

A National Role (1918-early 1940s) Percy Taverner (1875-1947) didn’t think much of Ottawa or Ottawa naturalists when he arrived in 1911 as the National Museum’s first ornithologist (Cranmer- Byng 1996). Shortly after arriving he complained to a Detroit friend, “we have a club here, the Ottawa Nat- uralists, who are much on a par with the Detroit bunch. They have nice picnics every week but they are no place for you and me. The worst of it is that they have all kinds of direction with good men. Fletcher, Macoun, Gibson and the whole Geological Survey and that of the Experimental Farm, but they haven’t evolved a single naturalist in their twenty-five years of existence. The only thing they have got is a publication that has a government grant and appears regularly and in which we can get publication any time. If not for that, the real students here would have let the whole organiza- tion die a natural death long ago”. (LAC Taverner Col- lection, 29 April 1912). Taverner’s criticism was brutal and a bit unfair Ð but not by much. And to both his eternal credit and the benefit of Canadian natural sciences, he set about working with other like-minded rebels to shake the old outfit up and to make it Ð or at least, its publication Ð better serve the needs and opportunities of the contem- porary naturalist and public communities. Fletcher, Martin, Henry B. Small, Whyte, and Harrington would have been proud. Like Fletcher before him, Taverner maintained an extensive network of correspondents across Canada and the United States. Although allied on the OFNC Council with the likes of botanist James Macoun, long- time editor of The Ottawa Naturalist, entomologist FIGURE 10. An issue of the last volume of The Ottawa Nat- Arthur Gibson (1875-1959), and herpetologist Clyde uralist in 1918. Patch (1887-1952), Taverner was inspired by his field- naturalist colleagues across the country to broaden Taverner described the manoeuver to his mentor J. the reach of the Club’s publication. Early in 1918 he H. Fleming in August 1918 as something of a coup, argued to the Council that “… it does not seem pos- “… a few of us got in control and overrode the con- sible to support a worthy publication in a purely local servatives … ” (Cranmer-Byng 1986). He went on in field. Any such endeavours to be successful must en- the Fleming letter to say, “we hope to make it the sci- large its field. I therefore suggest that the pure local entific and nature study periodical of Canada” (LAC character of the periodical be removed by a change Taverner Collection, 10 August 1918). And indeed, of name and propose The Field Naturalist” (LAC by the following spring the mailing list had virtually OFNC Collection, 26 March 1918). doubled to over 540 names (LAC OFNC Collection, Taverner, Macoun, and associates made the skepti- 17 March 1919). Taverner reported back to a skepti- cal Council an offer they could not refuse. They prom- cal Fleming in Toronto that “you are mistaken in ised it would mean no substantive change for local believing that the change in name will not help The naturalists and would still accommodate more popu- Ottawa Naturalist. It has helped already. The change lar general public issues. Most importantly, they per- in form can only be supported by increased subscrip- sonally guaranteed to underwrite a huge expansion in tions and we have to rely mostly on Canadians for this. membership in order to establish a secure, long-term The jealousy of anything labeled Ottawa throughout financial base for the program. James Macoun, for ex- Canada is surprising” (LAC Taverner Collection, 10 ample, immediately pledged to underwrite 100 new April 1919). memberships; Taverner, Patch and anthropologist F. The Canadian Field-Naturalist (CFN) was officially W. Waugh each took on 25 and archaeologist W. J. established by a motion from James Macoun (sec- Wintemberg accepted responsibility for a further 15 onded by Taverner) at the OFNC Annual Meeting in (LAC OFNC Collection, 1 May 1918; 17 March 1919). March 1919. A change had already been made in April How could the Council refuse such an offer? 1918 with a larger format and better paper (Figure 10), 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 16

16 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

graced by the attractive, if pastoral, cover illustration copiously illustrated by high quality black-and-white provided by Geological Survey of Canada artist C. E. and half-tone plates. The latter, by paleontologist and Johnson. The new journal name was first used on the OFNC 1927-1928 President E. M. Kindle (1869-1940), April 1919 issue. This cover illustration remained on who had recently won a $1000 prize in a Canada-wide each regular issue of the CFN until volume 59 (1945) competition established by Sir William Price for the when, without further explanation, it was removed in best article on this subject. This pattern of occasional favour of the Table of Contents (LAC OFNC Collec- Special Issues for larger, particularly significant or tion, 3 March 1945). appropriate subjects has continued to the present day, The care and maintenance of the CFN became the recent subjects including the Taverner biography primary issue and function of the Club. The under- (Cranmer-Byng 1996) and a review of the orchid spe- writing of new subscriptions by the small group of cies of the Ottawa District (Reddoch and Reddoch ‘friends’ of the journal had a dramatic effect on mem- 1997). Earlier long articles, like Fletcher’s Flora bership numbers, the new levels of which persisted Ottawaensis (Boivin and Cody 1955) or Hoyes Lloyd’s through the 1920s (Figure 6). This laid a strong, nation- review of the birds of Ottawa (Lloyd 1923; 1924), al foundation for the publication without which it seems were often serialized over a number of issues. unlikely the publication (and the OFNC) would have Another special publication was called for in the survived the dark days of the 1930s. 1920s. It was recommended to the Council by Geo- Another major publication initiative in that period logical Survey of Canada geologist J. B. Mawdsley was the first OFNC Special Publication, occasioned that the Club produce “ … a local scientific guide book by the death of John Macoun. Upon the urging of his of the region” (LAC OFNC Collection, 20 November son, horticulturist and OFNC 1903-1905 President 1929). The OFNC was indeed instrumental in seeing William T. Macoun (1869-1933), the Council agreed such a naturalist’s guide produced, but that did not to publish the elder Macoun’s autobiography (LAC happen until nearly 60 years later (Brunton 1988). OFNC Collection, 9 April 1921). Curiously, not since Local programming became little more than occa- the Ottawa Natural History Society produced its occa- sional field outings and lectures during the late teens sional Transactions more than 50 years earlier had and 1920s, although efforts were made to get the Boy such a stand-alone publication been presented by the Scouts organization more involved during the early Ottawa naturalist community. 1920s (LAC OFNC Collection, 26 March 1921). While a Memorial Fund was established to cover Nonetheless, Taverner’s earlier unflattering portrayal the $2500 costs of publication of the Macoun autobi- of the Club’s activity level was still more or less on ography as well as a memorial portrait (again as with target a decade later. This apparent lack of new energy James Fletcher’s portrait, created by Franklin Brown- and focus in the post-war years and early days of the ell), it apparently fell to William Macoun to make Roaring Twenties was underscored by the deaths of a most arrangements (LAC OFNC Collection, 9 April number of prominent OFNC pioneers and activists, 1921). This he did enthusiastically and efficiently, lead- men who had emphasized the need for and impor- ing to an initial run of 2000 copies of the autobiog- tance of local field activity. These included founders raphy (Macoun 1922). Indeed, after the book was pub- R. B. Whyte (1919) and Will Harrington (1918), as lished, the 1922 OFNC Annual Report was deliberately well as Gordon Hewitt (1920), James Macoun (1920), altered to read that “the Club had co-operated with Mr. and John Macoun (1920). W. T. Macoun in the publication of the Autobiography National conservation issues, typically relating to of Professor John Macoun” (LAC OFNC Collection, the protection of particular animal populations, con- 5 December 1922), suggesting that the Club may not stituted the major non-publications subject of discus- have played much of a role in its development.11 sion of the Council in the 1920s and 1930s. On a num- The Macoun portrait was formally presented to Na- ber of occasions the Council passed motions for the tional Museum of Canada Director William McInnis Club to petition the federal government regarding such during the 1921 OFNC Annual Meeting which was issues as improved national museum support or the held in the Victoria Memorial Museum, Macoun’s last protection of wildlife. This may have been awkward at work place in Ottawa. It was accompanied by various times, since many of the people receiving and dealing speeches praising his extraordinary contributions to with such pleas or critiques were Club members or Canadian natural science (LAC OFNC Collection, 20 professional associates of Club members. Senior gov- December 1921). ernment eyebrows may have been raised, for instance, Other occasional publications appeared as Special when Editor Harrison Lewis (1893-1974) published a Issues of the CFN through the 1920s. One was a treat- (prescient!) editorial in the CFN that was highly criti- ment of the birds of Saskatchewan which included the cal of apparent governmental support for increased first colour illustration to appear in the journal (Mitch- commercialization of Canadian national parks (Lewis ell 1924) and another was a long essay on the natural 1922). It has never been, after all, particularly judi- resource potential of northern Canada (Kindle 1928), cious for active civil servants to publicly question 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 17

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 17

stated government policies or intentions. “Awkward”, sented another severe test of the Club’s staying power however, does not adequately describe the “Buffalo and its officers’ mettle. Stripped down to basic func- Crisis” of 1925. tions Ð publishing the CFN and little else Ð the Club The trouble arose when the Council directed that a was enduring especially tough times, ushered in by letter be sent to the Department of the Interior protest- dramatically falling membership in 1930 and a sub- ing the proposed movement of Plains Bison of ques- stantial budget deficit. There was a $728 swing in net tionable health into the disease-free range of the last revenues from the surplus of the previous year (LAC known herd of Wood Bison (LAC OFNC Collection, OFNC Collection, 11 April 1930). Membership would 28 February 1925). The protest letter was signed by not again exceed the 1929 total of 549 until 1955 ( OFNC President Hoyes Lloyd (1888-1978) and accom- 6). panied by a comparably critical Letter to the Editor By the December 1932 Annual Meeting the OFNC which had recently been published in The Canadian was operating at a 20% deficit – and this only after Field-Naturalist (Harper 1925). Lloyd and the CFN drawing upon the Club’s small Reserve Fund and Editor Harrison Lewis, however, were both employees securing a 12% reduction in charges from the CFN of the Department of the Interior and their public crit- printer. The good news, though, was that excursion icism of their professional superiors was clearly not attendance was way up, with four spring field trips appreciated. Instructed to choose between continued each averaging over 100 attendees. OFNC 1931-1933 federal government employment and their OFNC President Charles Sternberg (1885-1981) concluded positions, both Lloyd and Lewis had little choice but cheerfully “we feel our organization has stood up as to resign their Club positions immediately Ð to the well as others in the stormy times and we are, as a apparent surprise and regret of the Council (LAC Club, now looking forward and ready to face brighter OFNC Collection, 11 April 1925). Lloyd became the days as they dawn upon us” (LAC OFNC Collection, first and only OFNC President forced to resign in mid- 6 December 1932). term, although he served the Club in many ways for It was not to be, of course. The Club officers were decades thereafter and was awarded an Honorary Mem- creative and flexible in finding ways of keeping things bership in 1965 in recognition of his contributions going despite the depletion of the Reserve Funds and (Munro 1979). Curiously, the taking of this laudable, low membership numbers. They agreed, for instance, if perhaps somewhat naive position of principle, was to carry the 1934 membership of anyone who had been publicly unreported until 2002. It is not even hinted with the Club for five years but could not afford the at in The Canadian Field-Naturalist obituaries of either $2.00 membership/subscription fee (LAC OFNC Col- gentleman (Solman 1974; Munro 1979). Lewis, Lloyd, lection, 9 January 1934). Local excursions were em- Harper and associates have been proven correct in their phasized again (e.g., 10 were held in 1935) and while concerns regarding herd contamination, as the issue of these did not appear to generate much in the way of appropriate Wood Bison population management in new biodiversity information, they did offer a benefit Wood Buffalo National Park is once again being hot- and encouragement to local members. A re-emphasis ly debated (Fuller 2002). on conservation matters was also expressed, especially On a more positive note, the 50th anniversary of by those working in National Parks and in federal the OFNC was celebrated with an anniversary dinner migratory bird conservation offices, but no particular on 19 March 1929 (erroneously believed to be the hands-on local initiatives were identified. The Council founding date – see “Founding Meeting”, above), in even decided to defer joining the newly established which two of the few surviving founders (H. B. Small Federation of Ontario Naturalists which was dedicated Jr. and Roger Davy) were the guests of honour. Other to the objective of protecting natural areas and “native founders (participants in the 25 March 1879 found- wildlife” (biodiversity) in Ontario (LAC OFNC Col- ing meeting) still alive in March 1929 were L. H. lection, 7 May 1936). Chrysler, W. Chesterton, and P. B. Symes (who died Despite the difficult times and reduced level of local later that year).12 The Club was doing reasonably well activity, the 1936 Annual Business Meeting drew over in early 1929, however, with a substantial surplus and 100 members, likely due to the attendance of Archie a stable, adequate number of members to support its Belaney, a.k.a. Grey Owl (Dickson 1973) “… Canada’s programs. If local activities were not undertaken at famous Indian naturalist and conservationist who anything like the keen levels of years and decades spoke briefly on the need for immediate conservation before, the publication program seemed solidly and action in Canada” (LAC OFNC Collection, 1 Decem- comfortably established and seemed to have achieved ber 1936). the national scope that Taverner, James Macoun, Lewis, What sustained the OFNC through all the ups and and their associates had worked so hard a decade ear- downs of this difficult time was the special relation- lier to achieve. ship of the Club with the community of biologists The respite from difficult times was short-lived, and scientists employed by the federal government, however, as the Great Depression of the 1930s pre- especially with those at The Museum (Geological 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 18

18 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

Survey of Canada Museum, then National Museum local members (LAC OFNC Collection, 22 January of Canada, now Canadian Museum of Nature) and 1944). The latter three Ð now old guard members Ð The Farm (Central Experimental Farm, now various were the most vocal on Council in arguing for contin- research initiatives within Agriculture Canada). Hall ued priority being placed on the important “national (1986) notes that over 30 employees of The Farm Ð publication society” elements they had worked so the most notable being James Fletcher Ð served as hard to sustain through the difficult 1930s and into officers, editors, and/or Honorary Members of the the early 1940s. Although their efforts only slowly OFNC (Appendix 1). Twelve of those individuals had bore fruit, Banim, Lanceley, and Snure (who served been OFNC presidents. A comparable or possibly even consecutively as OFNC President between 1944 and stronger commitment could be documented from The 1950)13,were able to shepherd a measure of renewal Museum, with Department of the Interior (Canadian of local naturalist activities in this period. Wildlife Service (CWS) and Parks Canada) personnel The at-times conflicting perspectives of local natur- making a similarly important contribution to the opera- alist club and national scientific publication society tion and support of the OFNC. These people saw the simmered along, unresolved as national and world Club in general and the CFN in particular as an im- events (the latter years of the Great Depression, the portant contribution to Canadian and North American commencement of World War II) effectively limited natural sciences and to the conservation of the natur- the ability of the Club to generate substantial new al environment. They saw it (as many in such positions membership or financial resources. Despite the war- still do) as virtually their duty to participate. In an time limitation on materials and human resources, otherwise mundane 1937 debate on the question of some Club local field investigations were initiated possible reduction in the honorarium given to the CFN and the CFN continued to appear, albeit with many editor (from the princely of $90 established in 1928, issues in 1941 and 1942 delayed by the printer’s war to $50) as yet another cost-cutting measure, Harrison work priorities. Not oblivious to patriotic opportuni- Lewis stated “… we are a scientific society and any ties themselves, in 1942 the Council responded to a one of us would carry on the work without salary for request for the exchange of scientific literature from the good of the Club”, to which Percy Taverner the Lenin Library in Moscow by offering a free set of added ” … the Editor works for the good of his The CFN from 1935 “until the close of hostilities … science and not for wages …”. The motion for a as a mark of our good will” (LAC OFNC Collection, reduction in the editor’s honorarium passed, by the 5 October 1942). For OFNC functions and programs, way (LAC OFNC Collection, 10 April 1937), and was the World War II period was essentially an extension of not increased again until 1947 (LAC OFNC Collec- the publications and membership subsistence efforts tion, 25 January 1947). of the 1930s. Only as the war in Europe was winding There remained a small group of Club officers down did the first signs of renewal and new potentials throughout the 1930s and early 1940s who argued for Ð such as increased membership Ð begin to appear more emphasis on a strong local program of lectures, (LAC OFNC Collection, 5 December 1944). excursions, and public education. This group was led by irrepressible biology teacher and priest F. E, Banim Post-war Boom (late 1940s-1965) (1902-1979), statistician W. H. Lanceley (1893-1958), One of the first signs of the rebirth of local area and technical editor Pauline Snure. These Club offi- activity within the OFNC came with publication of cials, also supported by botanist and OFNC 1935-1937 review articles on the birds and mammals of the President Herb Groh (1883-1971), argued for the re- Ottawa District in the latter years of World War II establishment of monthly lectures and a return to old (Lloyd 1944 and Rand 1945, respectively), at least in time soirées as means of generating renewed interest part at the urging of local naturalist advocates like and membership in the Club. They were successful in Banim, Snure and Lanceley. Although based largely on the establishment of a Flora and Fauna Committee to historic Museum data and/or the authors’ observations, co-ordinate a renewal in the investigation and docu- these review papers gave local naturalists the first com- mentation of local biodiversity (LAC OFNC Collec- prehensive treatments of popular Ottawa District flora tion, 28 October 1936). This latter committee ultimate- or fauna since Fletcher’s 19th century vascular plant ly had few results, although J. R. Dymond, selected as list (Fletcher 1888) and Lloyd’s bird list from the leader of the fish working group, presumably conduct- 1920s (Lloyd 1923; 1924). ed at least a part the research which was the basis for Almost coincident with, but much more important his later The Fishes of the Ottawa region (Dymond 1939) than this, was the tremendous post-war growth in the in response to this initiative. professional civil service in response to the needs of Snure was particularly forceful in the mid-1940s an expanding, prosperous post-war national economy. in taking on long-established, senior Council members A new wave of young, energetic, natural scientists like Hoyes Lloyd and, to a lesser extent, Harrison from all across Canada was arriving in Ottawa in the Lewis and Percy Taverner, and pushing successfully late 1940s and early 1950s, many soon joining and be- for such things as the establishment of an Excursions coming involved with the programs and workings of and Lectures Committee to co-ordinate services for the OFNC. Following the dark days of the Depression 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 19

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 19

and then the war, many of these individuals were keen on a wide range of natural environment topics in the to contribute both to the improvement of their recover- days before specialty television channels or, indeed, ing local and national communities and to the explor- television of any kind was available for most Ottawa ation and protection of Canadian natural biodiversity. households. It’s not entirely clear who was the Club’s In November 1946, for example, future Honorary lead on this program; Humphreys (1979a) suggests it members and important Club contributors Clarence resulted from Oliver Hewitt’s circulation of an Audu- Frankton (1906-2000) (Brunton 2003) and Jack Gillett bon Screen Tour brochure in December 1947. The rec- joined the Club, followed the next month by long-time ords of the minutes books, however, state that former Business Manager of the CFN and future Honorary Treasurer and future Honorary Member Ibra Connors Member Bill Cody. Indeed, almost 150 new members (1894-1989) brought the issue before the Council for joined the OFNC in 1948 alone (Snure 1978). Newly approval later that winter (LAC OFNC Collection, 21 arrived natural science specialists were pressed by February 1948). Regardless, until it was cancelled in their OFNC veteran associates to join the Club; in- 1959, the Audubon Screen Tours program was enjoyed volvement in Club programs was almost an expected by many thousands of Ottawans and generated con- part of the job in those years (C. Frankton, personal siderable revenue for the Club (Humphreys 1979a). communication). A significant amount of Club revenue also resulted This new wave of naturalists demonstrated some- from the clearance of a mass of The CFN back issue thing not seen since the early years of the Club’s his- orders which had built up during the 1941-1955 edi- tory Ð a keen enthusiasm for field exploration and torship of Harold Senn (1912-1997). Bill Cody and discovery, and a desire to share that new-found know- Clarrie Frankton spent weeks ferreting out and follow- ledge with the naturalist community and the general ing up on years-old orders for The CFN back issues public. Accordingly, the late 1940s and early 1950s (C. Frankton, personal communications). The resulting were productive years for the documentation of Ottawa revenue formed the seed funding which has grown into area biodiversity, as indicated by the richness of the what now constitute very substantial OFNC reserve specimen records from that time in the collections of funds. The Museum and The Farm (personal observation). In the late 1940s and for the first time in OFNC Another major initiative of this period was the history, the Club had its own field station. In 1949 A. formation of the Macoun Field Club (MFC), a junior E. (Fred) Bourguignon (1893-1968) arranged for a naturalists club sponsored jointly by the OFNC and 10-year lease of a property at Beatty Point along the the National Museum of Canada (Snure 1978; Baldwin Ottawa River off what is now Grandview Road in 1978). Such an organization had been talked about Nepean. For a cost of $300 (assisted by a substantial since before the First World War, but nothing had donation of building materials), various Club members come of it. Due to dedicated work by a large number of (most particularly, Fred Bourguignon) worked to Club and Museum people, however, it was success- construct a small wooden building which would serve fully established in 1948. The first MFC Committee as a base for OFNC field studies in the area. Beatty Chairman was OFNC 1954-1955 President W. K. W. Point Lodge, as it was called, was officially opened (Bill) Baldwin (1910-1979) (Figure 11) who set the on 24 May 1949 and served as a field investigation initial tone and procedures which have stood up ever centre for almost 10 years. Encroaching urban growth, since (Soper and Bousfield 1982; Francis Cook, per- expanding road networks, and the proliferation of per- sonal communication). The MFC has supported and sonal automobiles eventually made a single base of encouraged the investigation and documentation of nat- operations less useful for contemporary field explor- ural biodiversity by elementary and secondary school ations and the building was sold in the late 1950s children in the Ottawa area through a remarkably rich (Humphreys 1979b). program of lectures, workshops and most importantly, Some members in the early 1950s wished to delve field studies, for over 50 years (Lee 1998). The work of more deeply into particularly popular natural history Bill, Herb Groh (Figure 12) and David Maddox was subject areas in the Ottawa District. From this interest particularly critical to this success in the formative years arose informal study groups such as the Fern Group, of the MFC. Many OFNC club members contributed the Bog Group, the Trail Group, the Bird Group, etc. time and even, in the case of Mary Stuart, access to their (Dill 1979; 1982), and later, the Native Orchid Loca- property for field trips (Figure 13). tion Survey. Consistent with the science-based approach The OFNC also undertook to generate greater pub- of OFNC field investigation throughout its history, lic awareness of natural environment matters and to these study group participants did more than just ex- develop an additional stream of funding for the Club plore interesting natural landscapes and share identi- by arranging local sponsorship of Audubon Screen fication information amongst themselves. They docu- Tour presentations in Ottawa. These were profession- mented significant findings in writing and/or with spec- ally produced and well-attended illustrated lectures imens. The records of the Fern Group, for example, by speakers of the calibre of Roger T. Peterson and were heavily relied upon for the production of a George M. Sutton (personal observation). They pro- treatment of the ferns of the Ottawa District (Cody vided an important source of general public education 1956). The Native Orchid Location Survey was estab- 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 20

20 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

FIGURE 11. Bill Baldwin, botanist at the National Museum of Canada and the first chair of the Macoun Field Club, at the meet- ing room provided by co-sponsor National Museum of Canada in the basement of the Victoria Memorial Museum Building together with early members Cynthia Millman and Nancy Fergusson, November 1950 (Macoun Club files, courtesy of Rob Lee).

FIGURE 12. Herb Groh, then just retired weed specialist at the Canada Department of Agriculture and a Past President of The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club, with Macoun Field Club member Nick Wickenden, November 1950. (Macoun Club files, courtesy of Rob Lee). 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 21

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 21

FIGURE 13. One of many Macoun Field Club trips to OFNC Honorary Member and long-time Macoun volunteer Mary Stuart’s property near Packenham: Intermediate and junior groups, March 1969. Photograph courtesy of Rob Lee.

lished by E. W. Greenwood in 1966 and soon grew in The Club was profiled in the print media and a local scope beyond the Ottawa District, gathering a consid- department store provided a display window for an erable body of orchid location data from volunteer exhibit on the Club. The attention paid to the event contributors across Canada until the mid-1970s (Red- generated the first formal demonstration of historical doch and Reddoch 1997). interest in the organization. Herb Groh, whose OFNC With local natural history activities reaching levels involvement dated back to the pioneer days of the not seen since the early days of the century, OFNC Club and who had worked with both John Macoun members felt the need for more timely and topical and James Fletcher (Taschereau 1972), provided an information through a forum which would help to anecdotal history of Club Presidents (Groh 1955). “tie the members together” (LAC OFNC Collection, After all, he’d known almost all of them! Although 28 February 1949). Appropriately enough, that initia- some historical documentation of technical matters tive was approved by the Council at the same meeting pertaining to the CFN’s publication history had been authorizing the construction of the Beatty Point Lodge, produced (LaRocque 1931; Boivin and Cody 1955), underscoring the new-found enthusiasm for local activ- this was the first public documentation of the person- ity. The first issue of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ alities and events that had highlighted the Club’s Club Newsletter was published in April 1949 under history.14 the editorship of Verna (Ross) McGiffin. It ran until The CFN produced increasingly larger issues 1967, providing timely notices of meetings and events through this period, reflecting the greater volume and and offering a forum for the speedy exchange of in- quality of original field work being conducted both formation and opinions on a wide variety of issues of locally and farther afield in the early to mid-1950s. interest to the local membership. This increased production, however, posed financial The Club reached its 75th Anniversary in 1954, problems as publication costs increased 400% from though due to program delays, the occasion was actu- the mid-1940s to 1953; Club income not quite dou- ally celebrated in 1955 (Dill 1979). It was much more bled in the same period. Since it was felt that mem- of a party affair than the low-key Founders’ Tea and bership fees ($2.00) were as high as could be sustained, Club dinner held for the 50th anniversary back in 1929. costs had to be reduced. Accordingly, after decades 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 22

22 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

In the mid-1950s, for example, Treasurer R. J. Moore advised the Council “to go easy, especially keep Excursions & Lectures Committee under control” (LAC OFNC Collection, 29 February 1956). Walton Groves’ assessment was even more brutal, stating that “many of the Club’s activities have been crippled by the delay in publication” and by the need to publish so many issues in such a short time (LAC OFNC Collection, 30 September 1956). Despite the return to timely publication of the CFN, at the end of the decade Groves still reported that “the financial position of the Club continues to be very grave” at (LAC OFNC Collection, 1 December 1960). Still, the OFNC managed a Special Issue of The CFN, Alice Wilson’s Geology of Ottawa (Wilson 1956). It was likely only possible because Carleton University placed a pre-publication order for 1000 reprints (LAC OFNC Collection, 13 April 1956). Before environmental conservation and the protec- tion of natural biodiversity became major social and cultural phenomena in the Western World in the 1960s, the locally-focused elements within the OFNC had been gradually increasing the organization’s level of involvement in such directions. In the early 1950s, for example, Harrison Lewis met with the Federal District Commission (FDC) to discuss how the OFNC could (and would) provide wildlife protection and enhancement consultation during Gatineau Park dev- elopment. They also explored the idea of an OFNC field station space being provided in an expropriated FIGURE 14. The first issue of Trail & Landscape, March-April Gatineau Park building (LAC OFNC Collection, 7 1967, a journal for regional observations and outings and Club events. The cover was designed by the first April 1951). An OFNC Gatineau Park Committee was editor, Anne Hanes. formed under the chairmanship of OFNC 1960-1961 President Winston Mair and made various recom- of debate on the matter, the journal was reduced to mendations for wildlife habitat enhancement there. quarterly publication (from six issues per year) ef- The Federal District Commission also asked the Club fective with volume 67 (1953) (LAC OFNC Collection, to be involved in the establishment of a Brewery Creek 20 November 1952). Publication production problems bird sanctuary in Hull (Gatineau), presumably in res- were seriously exacerbated by lengthy delays in getting ponse to the high profile that site had received from into press, leading Publications Chairman and OFNC former British High Commissioner Malcolm Mac- 1950-1952 President Walton Groves (1906-1970) to Donald’s war time reminiscences in Birds of Brewery “express his deep regret at his inability to command Creek (MacDonald 1947) (LAC OFNC Collection, the support and co-operation” of just retired editor 13 March 1952). Nothing came of that and neither 1 Harold Senn (who had served 13 ⁄4 years) in order to FDC consultation was mentioned again after 1954 pass on the editorship to incoming editor R. A. Ham- (LAC OFNC Collection, 15 December 1954). ilton (LAC OFNC Collection, 4 May 1956). By the end of 1956 the last issue of the 1955 volume had still Conservation priorities (late 1960s-early 1980s) not been produced. The Council decided not to pay out A forerunner of the OFNC Conservation Commit- the editor’s honorarium for that year until the volume tee, called the Preservation of Natural History Sites was completed (LAC OFNC Collection, 13 December Committee, was established in 1960 with Bill Baldwin 1956). The crisis was resolved by a flurry of publica- as its chair and with locally-active members including tion activity under the efficient new editor, however, biology professor Donald A. Smith, CWS biologist with seven issues being published between February Vic Solman, geologist D. D. Hogarth and botanist W. and September 1957 (LAC OFNC Collection, 30 G. Dore (1912-1996) (LAC OFNC Collection, 15 September 1957)!15 December 1960). One of its first ventures Ð opposing The Club continued to struggle financially despite the proposed destruction of the vast Mer Bleue peat- the generally rosy economic picture in the country, as land in eastern Ottawa (it was to be used as a regional it also had, ironically, during the “Roaring Twenties”. landfill!) – was highly successful. It led not only to 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 23

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 23

FIGURE 15. Members of the Traill Group near Pinks Lake 29 May 1965, one of the last outings before disbanding as a formal group. From left to right are Winifred Anderson, Ruth Resenel, Alice Frith, Sheila Thomson, Bill Thomson, Rowley Frith, Hue McKenzie, Elva MacKenzie, Anne Hanes and unknown. Photograph by Charlotte Dill. Trail & Landscape 16(2): 95 [1982].

protection of that magnificent natural area, but also quin, it was to be “a newsletter as well as contain[ing] to a series of ecological and biodiversity investigations articles of wide appeal in the conservation field” (LAC of the wetland (Baldwin and Mosquin 1969). Donald OFNC Collection, 5 January 1967). The existing OFNC Smith played a pivotal role in generating the neces- Newsletter wasn’t offering sufficiently comprehensive sary awareness amongst both the naturalist commu- local coverage, nor could it satisfactorily accommodate nity and National Capital Commission (NCC) officials the documentation of local conservation-oriented nat- of the significance of the bog (Dorais et al. 1974). ural environment investigations which were increas- The protected area Ð now some 3 500 ha in size Ð is ingly being undertaken by Club members. T&L was managed by the NCC for the benefit of its ecological an immediate and astonishing hit, not only satisfying functions and has been declared an internationally a need of active local Club members but generating a significant wetland under the Ramsar Convention on huge, unprecedented increase in membership (Figure Wetlands (National Capital Commission 1996). 6). Anne Hanes (1925-1981) was appointed as the first In this period local Club members and the general editor and exercised these duties superbly through 13 public benefitted from two birding columns in Ottawa volumes (1967 to 1979), always encouraging environ- newspapers, one in The Ottawa Citizen by Wilfred mental conservation themes wherever possible (Green- Bell and the other in The Ottawa Journal by the ap- wood 1980). propriately named John Bird. The latter weekly column, Two subsequent editors, Joyce Reddoch (from 1980 “Bird’s-eye View”, was particularly beautifully written, to 1989) and Fenja Brodo (from 1991 to 1992 and 1993 accurate and insightful. It emphasized the growing to 2001) expertly supervised and directed the develop- level of birding activity in the Ottawa Valley and ment of long runs of the publication. Reddoch’s term offered a timely (unofficial) bulletin board of OFNC was distinguished by the production of a number of and conservation events (McNicholl 1994). large review articles which she solicited for both their Certainly the most important single occurrence for intrinsic natural history value and their importance as the local Club element in this period was the estab- reliable references for various conservation applications lishment of Trail & Landscape (T&L) (Figure 14). thereafter. A number of these, such as the reviews of As expressed by the then CFN editor Theodore Mos- Ottawa District amphibian and reptile species (Cook 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 24

24 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

1981, a revision of an earlier series in 1967 solicited by Both as OFNC 1969-1971 President and editor of first editor Anne Hanes) and butterfly species (Layberry the CFN from 1967 to 1972, Mosquin was at the fore- et al. 1982), continue to be locally referenced, as do front of efforts to enhance the level of OFNC conser- all of the natural areas documentation published in vation action and to engage both the membership and T&L. The Club and its members have also been well the general public in this. OFNC 1971-1972 President served by other editors of Trail & Landscape, Elizabeth Sheila Thomson and OFNC 1972-1975 President Morton (1990), Bill Gummer (from 1992 to 1993) and Irwin Brodo were similarly motivated conservation Karen McLachlan/Hamilton (from 2001 to the present). voices in the OFNC, the three of them working togeth- Trail & Landscape quickly became the contempo- er to persuasively direct Club environmental protection rary source for information on local natural environ- initiatives. Mosquin initiated a series of at times hard- ment issues. It has provided an ideal bridge between hitting and at times controversial editorials (not the the recording of natural environment information for last we were to see in the CFN!), challenging Club its own sake and in directing and assessing conserva- members, the larger naturalist community, and public tion priorities (Brunton 1986b). To some, the timeliness decision-makers to be more effective in protecting and thus effectiveness appears to have suffered, how- natural environments in Canada. In 1972 he resigned ever, after a decision to reduce the publication sched- the CFN editorship to take on the challenge of found- ule, for manpower and economic reasons, from five ing editor of the Canadian Nature Federation’s Nature issues/year to four, starting with the 1988 volume. Canada. The subsequently reduced publication frequency and The infectious enthusiasm, environmental passion fewer total pages have coincided with a substantial and unquestioned technical expertise of these three reduction (by almost half) in the number of articles activists in concert with other Club leaders of the day with direct conservation applications. such as OFNC 1963-1966 President George McGee The huge increase in membership and higher profile (1909-1991) and OFNC 1967-1969 President Hue of conservation and field-oriented activities in the late McKenzie, were an inspiration to a whole generation 1960s may have set too hectic a pace for some long- of new Ottawa-area naturalists (personal observation). time Club stalwarts who had been more concerned with For us newcomers, they transformed the understand- the national publication role. Hoyes Lloyd resigned ing of the study of the natural environment from a from the Council at the end of 1967, stating that he seemingly slightly idiosyncratic, individual endeavour felt it inappropriate as an OFNC Honorary Member undertaken for personal entertainment to a meaning- to also serve as a Club director (LAC OFNC Collec- ful Ð even important Ð and highly integrated calling. tion, 6 June 1967). There is no such limitation on Hon- What a revelation! orary Members, however, and a number have contin- The growing commitment to natural environment ued to serve on Council with distinction for many years. conservation in the late 1960s and early 1970s saw Notable in this regard is 1979 Honorary Member Bill the re-energizing of OFNC Council and membership Cody, who has served continuously on Council since support in this area. At the urging of Ted Mosquin and December 1947, shortly after becoming The CFN Ed Greenwood and recognizing that the Preservation Business Manager earlier that year (LAC OFNC Col- of Natural History Sites Committee was not broad lection, 21 May 1947). And similarly impressive is the enough in its mandate, in early 1967 the OFNC estab- contribution of Frank Pope, who has served on Council lished the Natural Areas Committee to coordinate continuously since 1980 and has occupied the positions original field conservation research and to actively of Corresponding Secretary (three years), Treasurer search out potential natural reserve sites in the Ottawa (six years), Vice-President (one year) and President Valley (LAC OFNC Collection, 10 April 1967). By (an unprecedented six years) (Appendix 1). 1970, the committee was undertaking a broad program The Canadian Field-Naturalist underwent a signif- of local field investigations and had provided a basis icant reconfiguration in January 1970, introducing a for the identification of significant natural areas in new size, format and appearance not just to improve the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton’s 1974 its look but “to [make] its content as relevant as pos- Official Plan. So significant was the role and mandate sible to the natural history needs of our time” (Mosquin of this group that the Natural Areas Committee was 1970). And by “relevant”, Editor Ted Mosquin meant soon being promoted as the most significant of Club strongly conservation oriented. That first issue was committees (LAC OFNC Collection, 8 December graced by a photo with a Timber Wolf Ð the contem- 1970). Increasing demand for input into various con- porary symbol of wilderness protection Ð crossing a servation issues both locally and beyond, resulted in snowy landscape. The issue contained both a variety the establishment of the Research and Briefs Commit- of articles on Canadian endangered species and a direc- tee (1972-1973), which in 1974 was combined with the tory of conservation organizations in Canada. Conser- Natural Areas Committee to form the Conservation vation applications of carefully-researched ecological Committee. This committee continues to play an inte- and natural diversity investigations have been a hall- gral role in OFNC and community affairs to the mark of The CFN ever since. present day. 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 25

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 25

The OFNC Centennial in 1979 understandably of the Ottawa District also reflected this knowledge brought forth a great deal of interest in the history of (Gillett and White 1978) and contained many of the the Club in particular and of the naturalist commu- records newly discovered by Club members. nity of Ottawa in general. Trail & Landscape provided That burst of new knowledge and energy demon- the major vehicle for sharing this information amongst strated that suggestions in the early years of the 20th the local membership. Events culminated with a ban- century that our knowledge of the natural environ- quet intended to be on the exact 100th anniversary, ment of the Ottawa area was all but complete, were but as with previous celebrations, it was erroneously badly incorrect. Our understanding of native biodi- held on 19 March (Reddoch 1979a), not the actual versity and of the ecological systems supporting it centennial date of 25 March. requires continual inventory and evaluation to enable The increased interest in the historical record gen- effective protection and maintenance of this natural erated by the Centennial year encouraged a new appre- heritage. ciation of the designation of OFNC Honorary Mem- The Club’s conservation activities in this era, led bers. These had been given out only irregularly over by activist presidents Roger Foxall and Roger Taylor the years to honour lengthy, significant service to the between 1978 and 1982 and by such energetic mem- OFNC or Canadian natural sciences. Although honor- bers as Loney Dickson, Allan Reddoch, Joyce Red- ary memberships have been awarded more regularly doch, Albert Dugal, Stephen Darbyshire, and David since 1971, the Centennial Year saw a new focus on White, covered an amazing spectrum and exhausting this acknowledgment of such exceptional contributions number of subjects. These ranged from a campaign for (Brunton and Gummer 1987). a conservation area system in the Region of Ottawa- The conservation initiatives of the 1970s and early Carleton (now city of Ottawa) to prevention of the 1980s saw a resurgence of more systematic field importation of Raccoon-dogs into Canada, and from examinations of uncommon and ecologically significant the prevention of 1988 Winter Olympic facility devel- habitats in the Ottawa Valley such as fens, rivershore opment within Banff National Parks to consultations communities, and relict woodlands (Dugal 1978; with federal government officials on ecological re- Reddoch 1979b; White 1979). Publication of the first quirements in Gatineau Park and National Capital complete, annotated checklist of the vascular plants Greenbelt planning.

FIGURE 16. Excursion of Ottawa Field-Naturalists to the Rideau Trail in October 1979 (photograph by C. Beddoe). Contrast with Figure 9. Long-time member Mary Stuart is second from left. 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 26

26 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

The Club hosted the annual meeting of the Feder- 1981, who suggested that “the burden of being account- ation of Ontario Naturalists in 1983, establishing a able to the scientific natural history community for a successful program format that was followed by sub- national journal … may now be more than this local sequent provincial gatherings for years to come. The club should retain.” [The days of calling the OFNC a OFNC again successfully hosted the provincial orga- “scientific society” were truly gone!] “Therefore… if nization’s annual conference in 1993 (Pope 1993). the journal’s reputation is not maintained and there is A more whimsical contribution is to wildlife con- no move for a change in publisher, I challenge those servation initiated in this period was the “Seed-a-thon”, who want a top-quality Canadian natural history jour- a fund-raising effort whereby sponsors pledge a par- nal, such as The Canadian Field-Naturalist is now, to ticular amount for every species observed on a par- initiate a new journal” (Smith 1981). These comments ticular day by a particular birding team, to be applied do not explain, however, how the OFNC managed to towards the cost of supporting a network of OFNC maintain and enhance such a fine journal for so many public bird feeder stations. Initiated by the Birds Com- years. mittee on the suggestion of long-time OFNC member After much discussion, consultation and review by Violet Humphries in 1981 (personal communication), an Ad Hoc Committee on OFNC Publications com- this was one of the first of what now are commonplace posed primarily of scientific specialists, the OFNC fund-raising events across Canada (Brunton 1981). Council approved (8 December 1982) a new Publica- There was a human cost to all this activity, how- tions Policy to guide the CFN and other Club publi- ever, and many of the lead Club personnel in these cations (Bedford 1983). The Policy reiterated the Club’s matters eventually were called away by the mundane continuing, century-long commitment to the scientific but critical matters of family and careers, moving on integrity and high technical standards of the CFN, as to other things and/or were simply exhausted by it all. well as the Club’s intention to have the journal remain This was exacerbated in the later years of the 1970s the official publication of the OFNC. and into the 1980s by new pressures on the time and Francis Cook assumed editorship of the CFN from resources of professional research staff within the 1962 to 1966, and again in 1981, and has guided the federal public service, reducing their availability and journal to the present day with a steady and depend- energy for involvement in such initiatives as local able hand, introducing important innovations such as conservation and research. Only three OFNC presidents the publication of Canadian status reports for candidate since the mid 1970s (D. F. Brunton, R. John and E. endangered species. There has been a great increase Zurbrigg), for example, were professionally involved in the amount of material published in each volume in natural environment investigation or management during Cook’s tenure (volumes averaged 756 pages (Appendix 1). over the five years ending in 2002). In the face of the One of the most satisfying conservation ventures many complications in the publication process, the of recent decades has to be the effort begun in the timely publication of some issues has not occurred. early 1980s to save the massive, Provincially Signifi- Scientific and technical quality has never been sacri- cant Alfred Bog east of Ottawa (Cuddy 1983) from ficed, however. The 28 volumes edited by Cook repre- destruction by agri-business interests. This battle saw sent by far the longest and most prolific service of any the Club purchase conservation land for the first time CFN editor in the 124-year history of the publication, (in 1982) so as to have legal standing in the fight to exceeding by more than a decade the tenure of the secure proper protective zoning. It was a long and next longest-serving editors, Harold Senn and Arthur difficult effort but with the effective leadership of Gibson (Brunton 1986a). OFNC President Frank Pope, considerable financial and material contributions from numerous individual Contemporary Times and the Future (mid- members, and the critical involvement of the Nature 1980s to date) Conservancy of Canada, the entire wetland was saved James Macoun, Percy Taverner and other “nation- and is now either in protective public ownership or als” who worked so hard to enhance the mandate, zoned as parkland (Pope 2002). effectiveness, and reach of The Canadian Field- The primary national contribution of the OFNC Naturalist would be relieved to see that the publica- continued to be led by the publication of the CFN, al- tion has achieved the solid reputation, steady produc- though as noted, direct involvement in national-scale tion, and high scientific standards they hoped to see. conservation issues was common enough in this peri- An interesting expression of that long-term contribu- od. Despite a continuing and perhaps even enhanced tion and durability is demonstrated in the number of national/international status and production standard, original descriptions (diagnoses of new taxa) which however, the seemingly unanswerable question of how have occurred in the pages of the CFN. Over 730 have national or local the journal should be was raised again been published in the first 100 volumes (Brunton in a series of editorials in the late 1970s. The appro- 1987). priateness and credentials of a citizen-based (“ama- The level of field-oriented investigation of the Otta- teur”) organization directing the affairs of the journal wa Valley natural environment that was so productive was severely criticized by Lorraine Smith, Editor 1972- in the 1970s and early 1980s, however, has been dras- 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 27

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 27

1300

1275 1250

1225 1200 1175

1150 1125 1100 1075 1050

1025 Number of Members 1000 975 950 925 900 875 1976 1982 1988 1994 2000 Year

FIGURE 17. Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club membership trend 1975-2003. Numbers of institutional subscribers to The Canadian Field-Naturalist were not calculated within membership totals nor reported separately in Annual Reports after 1971. A 1975 reorganization offered individual members (reported to total 1371 that year) the opportunity to be only non- voting subscribers to the The Canadian Field-Naturalist,dramatically reducing the OFNC membership total reported for 1976 (Erskine 1977) [Individual and institutional subscribers were reported separately in the Annual and Editor’s Reports for The Canadian Field-Naturalist in each volume]. Absolute membership numbers prior to 1976, therefore, are not directly comparable to these of subsequent years (from OFNC Annual Reports, 1975-2002).

tically reduced. The appearance of substantially fewer This is important stuff. The majority of Club mem- area inventories and record documentation articles in bers are locally based and most of us are involved, Trail & Landscape reflects that trend. This may be part first and foremost, because we enjoy exploring and of an unfortunately strong North American perception learning about our natural world. Providing support in recent decades that continuing, original field in- for scientifically important undertakings such as the vestigations are of less importance than in previous publication of the CFN and the protection and preser- times. T&L remains, however, an important and highly vation of important natural landscapes, is a valuable relevant source of environmental news and natural additional membership benefit. Membership in the environment documentation. OFNC remains an easy and enjoyable way for indi- Programs intended to actively involve the partici- vidual citizens to support greater understanding of, pation of local members have remained an important and protection for, important natural landscapes and part of the OFNC. Dozens of field outings, lectures features in the Ottawa Valley and beyond. and special events are undertaken each year involving A noticeable change in the role of the local Club in a diversity of well-informed leaders and speakers. regards to its community has occurred in recent years. For decades the Club’s Excursions and Lectures Com- The OFNC is much more integrated into environmen- mittee has crafted an interesting and instructive program tal decision-making at a municipal and provincial that contributes greatly to the enhancement of members’ level than it has been at any time in its past. It has skills and to their enjoyment in the field. While field become, in an sense, an ecological consultant to that investigations focus on both familiar and exotic local- community. While such a role requires seemingly end- ities throughout the Ottawa District and the Ottawa less attendance at meetings and reduced time for core Valley, the Club does not confine itself to this area. field work, it has provided many excellent opportunities The spring “migration” of a bus load of OFNC mem- for Club representatives to bring accurate ecological bers to Point Pelee National Park, for example, has information into the discussion of an issue at an early become a popular biennial birding event since the 1980s. and effective stage of the decision-making process. A 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 28

28 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

cynic might say that the Club has become somewhat Since the 1990s the digital world has had as dra- bureaucratized; an optimist would suggest that the Club matic an impact on the OFNC as it has on so many now more frequently has a seat at decision-making facets of contemporary Canadian life. We are only tables across the National Capital Region. It is impor- just coming to terms with its potential benefits and tant to note, for example, that it was through this per- challenges. The OFNC’s impressive web page (http:// iod that the final protection of the important Alfred www.ofnc.ca) has allowed for rapid internal commu- Bog natural area was achieved. nications amongst Club officials, committee members Another very positive achievement of the last decade and conservation partners, and for the posting of was the establishment of the Louise de Kiriline Law- information and timely news items. Digital commu- rence Conservation Action Fund in 1994, founded with nication is only the latest expression of the Club’s a generous bequest from the estate of that outstanding commitment to education of our membership and of and eloquent field naturalist, Louise de Kiriline Law- the general public in regard to important natural envi- rence (1984-1992) (Ainley 1994). It is sustained by ronment features, needs and opportunities. The impor- further donations and by the profit from the sale of tance of the Club’s educational programs has been a particular OFNC products such as the “Natural Areas” major theme throughout OFNC history and is ex- book (Brunton 1988). The fund provides for “stra- pressed in the mission statement of the organization tegic and timely expenditures towards the conservation (see frontispiece of this issue). There is every indica- of natural areas” in the Ottawa Valley (Anonymous tion that it will remain so into the future. 1994). It is not yet clear how the Club will move forward A continuing interest for many Club members is from this foundation of established programs and re- the Fletcher Wildlife Garden (FWG), established in sources in order to stay informed, relevant Ð and sol- 1987 in degraded woodland and regenerating agricul- vent Ð into the future. That’s not a new challenge but tural land on National Arboretum property near the is one that must be answered by each generation in Rideau Canal. With the active cooperation and assis- response to the circumstances and opportunities of tance of Central Experimental Farm (Agriculture their day. Canada) personnel who are responsible for land man- Some things are clear. For one, the Club needs to agement here, the Fletcher Wildlife Garden volun- re-establish a higher level of field-oriented investigation teers have transformed the site with native plantings, amongst its membership. This will not only maintain the creation of a pond and through public interpre- and develop the skills and interests of present mem- tation. The objective is not only to produce on-going, bers but also inspire and generate new members. Ac- evolving habitat restoration but to demonstrate suita- curate and timely field investigation and documen- ble wildlife-friendly landscaping and gardening prac- tation are essential foundations for the maintenance tices for National Capital residents and visitors alike of the high level of technical credibility that the Club – to be “a model for urban gardeners” (Conservation has earned over the years. Continuing to do our home- Committee 1987). work, getting the facts straight, and presenting such These are all positive features. A disturbing trend in information in a defensible, objective manner are the Club affairs, however, has been declining membership keys to maintaining and enhancing the OFNC’s impre- over the last two decades (Figure 17). Perhaps not ssive record of conservation achievement. coincidentally, Club membership peaked ca. 1982 to As with any organization, regardless of how vener- 1985, at the end of the period of greatest conservation- able, the OFNC must also continue to re-examine what oriented activity. The local membership decline is it provides for the individual member. This is perhaps seemingly in tandem with the decline of original field- even more critical in an era with an unprecedented based investigations. Nonetheless, the number of number of electronic diversions competing for the OFNC members remains substantial Ð the Club is still attention of both members and partners alike. Will the probably the largest regional natural history organi- traditional superb program of excursions, lectures, and zation in Canada Ð but the downward membership publications be enough to inspire and encourage a trend needs reversing (Figure 17). growing, involved membership? Do the new technol- The reasons for this decline in participation are un- ogies of our time offer the same manner of new op- clear. It seems unlikely to be attributable to the ready portunities that technologies like the railway train, availability of up-to-date, comprehensive natural en- electric lighting, the automobile, and the airplane vironment data on the World Wide Web since the mem- offered earlier OFNC members? They surely do. bership decline began well before such technology What I hope is a clear message from this review of was widely available. It may, in part, be a function of the long, remarkably productive journey of Ottawa some wider, societal disinterest in hands-on involve- naturalists is that the OFNC is not a static, hard-and- ment with citizen-based, research-oriented groups. fast “thing”. It is a community, an association of like Whatever the reason(s), the decline has been substan- minds that aims to explore and celebrate the magnifi- tial and if it continues, will undermine the financial cent natural world of the Ottawa Valley and of Canada. security and effectiveness of the OFNC. And as with any community, we in the OFNC have 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 29

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 29

FIGURE 18. Record service to The Canadian Field-Naturalist: Left: Francis R. Cook, Editor 1962-1966; Associate Editor (Herpetology) 1972-1981; Editor 1981-present; right: William J. Cody, Business Manager 1948-present. 25 August 2004. Photo courtesy Ron Bedford.

and have had the benefit of the skills, insight, and debates!) I have enjoyed with Francis Cook over the inspirational leadership of numerous individuals and last 25 years on numerous subjects related to the his- groups over the years. tory of the OFNC and to the study of Canadian natural In weak times and strong, the common thread that sciences. Ron Bedford, Frank Pope, Joyce Reddoch, has bound Ottawa naturalists since 1879 Ð indeed, since and Rob Lee (present chair of the Macoun Field Club) 1863 Ð is an overwhelming desire to contribute to the were instrumental in obtaining many of the illustra- protection and enhancement of the natural features tions employed in this article. Rob Lee and Joyce Cook and values that make this place so special. At the end scanned several of these. I am happy too, to acknowl- of the day it comes down to the fact that James Fletcher, edge two other important players in this effort. First Frank Pope, Percy Taverner, Sheila Thomson, Edward is the late Herb Groh whose clipping file on OFNC Van Cortlandt, Herb Groh, Gordon Hewitt, and the rest personalities and whose interest in the Club’s past of us are not that different … we’re all just Ottawa inspired my own curiosity. The other gratefully ack- field naturalists. nowledged is the staff at the Library and Archives Canada (formerly the National Archives of Canada) Acknowledgments who so efficiently and pleasantly facilitated my The daunting challenge of reviewing a manuscript research with the OFNC collection and related files of this nature was undertaken in a timely and helpful held within the walls of that national treasure. manner by a team of naturalists well familiar with the OFNC and OFNC personalities. These reviewers were Documents Cited (marked * in text) Ron Bedford, Bill Cody, Francis Cook, Karen McIntosh, Dorais, M., R. Bouffard, R. Chenier and K. Adamson. Elizabeth Morton, Frank Pope and Joyce Reddoch. 1974. An examination of the past and present status of the They added much to the effort and I gratefully ack- Mer Bleue Peat Bog near Ottawa, Ontario. [Unpublished nowledge their input. I remain, however, fully respon- report], Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Ottawa. 105 pages. sible for any errors or omissions which may have LAC OFNC Collection. Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club escaped their sharp eyes. Frank Pope and Francis Collection (MG 28 I 31), Library and Archives Canada, Cook provided additional factual input throughout Ottawa. the development of the manuscript. This review has LAC Taverner Collection. Percy A. Taverner collection, also benefitted from the innumerable discussions (and Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa. 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 30

30 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

Literature Cited Cody, W. J., D. B. O. Savile, and M. J. Sarazin. 1986. Sys- Ainley, M. G. 1994. Louise de Kiriline Lawrence (1894- tematics in Agriculture Canada at Ottawa 1886Ð1986. 1992) and the world of nature: a tribute. Canadian Field- Agriculture Canada Historical Series (28). Ottawa. 81 Naturalist 108: 111-118. pages. Ami, H. 1901. Annual address of the President of The Ottawa Conservation Committee. 1987. Wildlife Garden ‘87: get Field-Naturalists’ Club. Ottawa Naturalist 14: 197-212. involved. Trail & Landscape 21: 180-181. Anonymous. 1854. Elementary Geology. Canadian Journal 3: Cook, F. R. 1981. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Ottawa 285-287. District. Trail & Landscape 15: 75-109. Anonymous. 1908. Destruction of Wolves. Ottawa Naturalist Cranmer-Byng, J. 1996. A life with birds: Percy A. Taver- 22: 38. ner, Canadian Ornithologist, 1875-1947. Canadian Field- Anonymous. 1929. [no title]. Ottawa Naturalist 43: 69. Naturalist 110: 1-254. Anonymous. 1981. The Ottawa District. Trail & Landscape Criddle, N. 1920. Obituary: Charles Gordon Hewitt. Cana- 15: 126. dian Field-Naturalist 34: 174-176. Anonymous. 1994. Louise de Kiriline Lawrence Conserva- Cuddy, D. 1983. Alfred Bog. Trail & Landscape 17: 147- tion Action Fund, The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club. 163. Canadian Field-Naturalist 108: 110. Dickson, L. 1973. Wilderness man; the strange story of Ansley, T. H. 1988. Sir John William Dawson Anstey, Page Grey Owl. Macmillan of Canada, Toronto. 283 pages. 1943 in The Canadian Encyclopedia (second edition), Dill, C. 1979. The Club Years 1950-1959. Trail & Landscape Volume 3, Hurtig Press, Edmonton. 13: 112-120. A[ttwood], A.E. 1905. Botanical Branch. The Ottawa Nat- Dill, C. 1982. From Bog Group to Trail[l] Group 1955 to uralist 18: 223-224. 1965. Trail & Landscape 16: 94-96. Baldwin, W. K. W. 1978. Memorandum on the Macoun Dore, W. G. 1968. Reprint of “List of plants collected by Field Club. Trail & Landscape 12: 91-103. Mr. Braddish Billings in the vicinity of the city of Ottawa Baldwin, W. K. W., and T. Mosquin. 1969. Scientific and during the summer of 1866”. Plant Research Institute, cultural studies of the Mer Bleue. Canadian Field-Natural- Department of Agriculture, Ottawa. ist 83: 4-6. Dugal, A. 1978. The South Gloucester Conservation Area Bedford R. E. 1983. A publication policy for The Ottawa revisited. Trail & Landscape 12: 47-53. Field-Naturalists’ Club. Canadian Field-Naturalist 97: Dymond, J. R. 1939. The fishes of the Ottawa Region. 231-234. Contributions of the Royal Ontario Museum of Zoology Billings, B. 1866. List of plants collected by Mr. Braddish (15). Toronto. 43 pages. Billings Jr. in the vicinity of the City of Ottawa during the Eggleston, W. 1961. The Queen’s Choice, a story of Canada’s summer of 1866. Transactions of the Ottawa Natural His- Capital. The National Capital Commission, The Queen’s tory Society (2). Ottawa. Printer, Ottawa. 325 pages. Billings, E. 1856. On the species of woodpeckers observed Erskine, A. J. 1977. Report of Council to The Ottawa in the vicinity of the City of Ottawa. Canadian Naturalist Field-Naturalists’ Club. Canadian Field-Naturalist 91: & Geologist 1: 176-189. 212-218. Boivin, B., and W. J. Cody. 1955. Bibliographic survey of Fletcher, J. 1880. Flora Ottawaensis. Transactions of The James Fletcher’s Flora Ottawaensis. Canadian Field- Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club 1: 48-61. Naturalist 69: 79-82. Fletcher, J. 1888. Flora Ottawaensis (additions made in Brault, L. 1946. Ottawa Old & New. Ottawa Historical Infor- 1887). Ottawa Naturalist 2: 28-32. mation Institute, Ottawa. 349 pages. [Fletcher, J.] 1891. Henry Edwards. The Ottawa Naturalist Brunton, D. F. 1981. Help the Seed-a-thon. Trail & Land- 5: 87-88. scape 15: 171. Fuller, W. A. 2002. Canada and the “Buffalo”, Bison bison:a Brunton, D. F. 1986a. Additions to the Documentation of tale of two herds. Canadian Field-Naturalist 116: 141-159. the Publication History of The Canadian Field-Naturalist Foster, J. 1978. Working for Wildlife. University of Toronto and its Predecessors. Canadian Field-Naturalist 100: 423- Press, Toronto. 283 pages. 426. G[ibson], A. 1918. William Hague Harrington. Ottawa Brunton, D. F. 1986b. Trail & Landscape as a reference Naturalist 31: 150. source. Trail & Landscape 20: 188-190. Gillett, J. M., and D. J. White. 1978. Checklist of Vascular Brunton, D. F. 1987. List of original descriptions published Plants of the Ottawa Ð Hull Region, Canada. National in The Canadian Field-Naturalist: 1932-1986. Canadian Museum of Natural Sciences, Ottawa. Field-Naturalist 101: 627-635. Grant, J. A. 1868. Superficial geology of the valley of the Brunton, D. F. 1988. Nature and natural areas in Canada’s Ottawa and the Wakefield cave. Transactions of the Otta- Capital. The Ottawa Citizen/Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ wa Natural History Society No. 2, Ottawa. Club, Ottawa. 208 pages. Grant, J. A. 1881. Description of a new species of Porocri- Brunton, D. F. 2003. A tribute to Clarence Frankton 1906- nus from the Trenton Limestone, with remarks on the 2000. Canadian Field-Naturalist 117: 481-486. genus. Transactions of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists Club Brunton, D. F., and W. K. Gummer. 1987. The History of 2: 42-44. OFNC Awards and the Awards Committee. Trail & Land- Greenwood, E. 1980. Anne Hanes, first editor of T&L. scape 21: 236-243. Trail & Landscape 14: 2. Clarke, T. H. 1971. Elkanah Billings (1820Ð1876) Ð Can- Groh, H. 1955. “Let us now praise famous men” Canadian ada’s first paleontologist. The Geological Association of Field-Naturalist 69: 75-78. Canada, Proceedings 23: 11. Gwyn, S. 1984. The Private Capital. McClelland and Stewart Cody, W. J. 1956. Ferns of the Ottawa District. Publication Ltd., Toronto. 514 pages. 974, Canada Department of Agriculture, Ottawa. 94 pages. 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 31

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 31

Hall, P. 1986. The Central Experimental Farm and The OFNC: Mosquin. T. 1970. Editorial policy of the Canadian Field- a 100 year cross-fertilization story. Trail & Landscape Naturalist. Canadian Field-Naturalist 84: 3. 20: 146 Ð 151. Munro, D. A. 1979. Tribute to Hoyes Lloyd, 1888-1978. Harper, F. 1925. Correspondence [Wood Buffalo]. Canadian Canadian Field-Naturalist 93: 331-336. Field-Naturalist 39: 45. National Capital Commission. 1996. The National Capital [Harrington, W. H.] 1887. Editorial Announcement. Ottawa Commission Greenbelt Master Plan. National Capital Com- Naturalist 1: 9-10. mission, Ottawa. 112 pages. Harrington, W. H. 1909. Reminiscences of Dr. Fletcher. Patch, C. 1923. Acknowledgements for 1923. Canadian Ottawa Naturalist 22: 196-205. Field-Naturalist 38: 18. Humphreys, V. 1979a. Audubon Screen Tours: general his- Pope, F. 1993. The 1993 Annual Conference and General tory of the tours in Ottawa. Trail & Landscape 13: 99-101. Meeting of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists. Trail & Humphreys, V. 1979b. The OFNC Lodge at Beattie [sic] Landscape 27: 116-117. Point. Trail & Landscape 13: 4-6. Pope, F. 2002. The OFNC and the Alfred Bog. Trail & Land- Killan, G. 1993. Protected Places, a history of Ontario’s prov- scape 36: 96-99. incial park system. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Rand, A. L. 1945. Mammals of the Ottawa District. Canadian Dundurn Press, Toronto. 630 pages. Field-Naturalist 59: 111-132. Kindle, E. M. 1928. Canada north of Fifty-six degrees: the Reddoch, J. M. 1979a. The birthday party. Trail & Landscape land of long summers. Canadian Field-Naturalist 42: 51- 13: 132-134. 85. Reddoch, J. M. 1979b. Calcareous fens in the Ottawa Kirkwood, A. 1867. The Milkweed and Canada Nettle. Trans- District. Trail & Landscape 13: 16-27. actions of the Ottawa Natural History Society Number 1, Reddoch, J. M. 1979c. Favourite OFNC excursion places. Ottawa. Trail & Landscape 13: 71-96. LaRocque, A. 1931. List of original descriptions published Reddoch, J. M., and A. H. Reddoch. 1997. The orchids in by The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club. Canadian Field- the Ottawa District: floristics, phytogeography, population Naturalist 45: 214-222. studies and historical review. Canadian Field-Naturalist Layberry, R. A., J. D. Lafontaine, and, P. W. Hall. 1982. 111: 1-185. Butterflies of the Ottawa District. Trail & Landscape 16: Regehr, T. D. 1988. Sir Sandford Fleming. Pages 790-791 3-59. in The Canadian Encyclopedia (second edition), Volume Lee, R. 1998. The Macoun Field Club Celebrates its 50th Anni- 2. Hurtig Press, Edmonton. versary. Trail & Landscape 32: 170-174. Rothfels, C. 2003. Synopsis of Ontario herbaria. Field [Lewis, H. F.] 1922. Preserve the National Parks. Canadian Botanists of Ontario Newsletter 16: 7-19. Field-Naturalist 36: 51-52. S[hutt], F. T. 1912. William White. Ottawa Naturalist 26: Lingard, C. C. 1967. (Editor) Canada One hundred 1867- 13. 1967. Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Queen’s Printer, Small, H. B. [Jr.] 1929. In memoriam, Col. W. P. Anderson. Ottawa. 504 pages. Canadian Field-Naturalist 43: 64. Lloyd, H. 1923. The birds of Ottawa, 1923. Canadian Small, H. B. [Sr.] 1883. Fishes of the Ottawa District. Trans- Field-Naturalist 37: 101-115; 125-127; 151-156. actions of the Ottawa-Field-Naturalist’s Club 4: 31-49. Lloyd, H. 1924. The birds of Ottawa, 1923 [conclusion]. Smith, L. C. 1981. Editor’s farewell musings. Canadian Canadian Field-Naturalist 38: 10-16 Field-Naturalist 95: 233-235. Lloyd, H. 1944. The birds of Ottawa, 1944. Canadian Field- Snure, P. 1978. The Club Years, 1940-1949. Trail & Land- Naturalist 58: 143-175. scape 12: 34-44. MacDonald, M. 1947. The birds of Brewery Creek. Oxford Solman, V. E. F. 1974. Harrison Flint Lewis, 1893-1974. University Press, Toronto. 334 pages. Canadian Field-Naturalist 88: 507-516. Macmillan, J., W. J. Sykes, and G. C. Holland. Editors. Soper, J. H., and E. L. Bousfield. 1982. A tribute to William 1904. A history of the Ottawa Collegiate Institute, 1843- Kirwan Willcocks Baldwin, M. B. E. (1910-1979). Cana- 1903. Ottawa Collegiate Ex-Pupils’ Association, The dian Field-Naturalist 96: 92-97. Mortimer Co. Ltd., Ottawa. 256 pages. Taschereau, P. M. 1972. In Memoriam: Herbert Groh. Macoun, J. 1922. The autobiography of John Macoun, M. Canadian Field-Naturalist 86: 299-306. A. Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club, Ottawa. 305 pages. Taylor, J. H. 1986. The history of Canadian cities Ottawa: An Macoun, J. 1979. The autobiography of John Macoun, M. illustrated history. James Lorimer & Company, Pub- A. (second edition). Special Publication (1). Ottawa Field- lishers and Canadian Museum of Civilization, National Naturalists’ Club, Ottawa. 361 pages. Museums of Canada. Toronto. 232 pages. M[acoun], W. T. 1918. Robert B. Whyte. Ottawa Naturalist Taylor, R. 1979. President’s Message. Trail & Landscape 31: 151. 13: 30-31. Macnamara, C. 1912. Poison Ivy. Ottawa Naturalist 26: Travill, A. A. 1988. Sir James Alexander Grant. Page 927 in 34-37. The Canadian Encyclopedia (second edition), Volume 2. McNicholl, M. K. 1994. Appendix 1: brief biographies of Hurtig Press, Edmonton. Ontario Ornithologists in Ornithology in Ontario edited Tufts, H. 1898. Notes on the birds of King’s Co., Nova by M. K. McNicholl and J. L. Cranmer-Byng. Special Pub- Scotia, [Part I]. Ottawa Naturalist 12: 172-177. lication 1, Ontario Field Ornithologists, Burlington. Tufts, H. 1899a. Notes on the birds of King’s Co., Nova Mitchell, H. H. 1924. Birds of Saskatchewan. Canadian Scotia Ð Part II. Ottawa Naturalist 12: 229-233. Field-Naturalist 38: 101-118. Tufts, H. 1899b. Notes on the birds of King’s Co., Nova Moffatt, M. E. 1986. Dr. Edward Van Cortlandt, Surgeon Scotia Ð Part III. Ottawa Naturalist 12: 259-262. (1805-1875). Bytown Pamphlet Series 17, The Historical White, D. J. 1979. The flora of Innis Point. Trail & Land- Society of Ottawa, Ottawa. 15 pages. scape 13: 174-177. 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 32

32 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

White, G. R., and W. L. Scott. 1882. List of birds found in that the OFNC (of which he was a founding member and the vicinity of Ottawa City, specimens of which have been had been the Treasurer for the previous three years!) was shot within the last few years, Appendix to Report of the “antagonistic to the Ottawa Literary and Scientific Soci- Ornithological and Oological Branch for the season of ety” (LAC OFNC Collection, 3 December 1886). The 1881. Transactions of The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club OFNC and OLSS councils individually discussed the prob- 3: 29-34. lem, the OLSS Council subsequently stating that they Whiteaves, J. F. 1876. Obituary notice of Elkanah Billings, would consider “ … any proposition which the field Club F. G. S., paleontologist to the Geological Survey of Can- may wish to make looking for a change in the relations ada. Canadian Naturalist and Quarterly Journal of Science between the Club and the Society but that a joint meeting 8: 251-261. of the two Councils cannot conveniently be arranged …” Whyte, R. B. 1880. Annual Report. Transactions of The (LAC OFNC Collection, 14 January 1887). Although no Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club 1: 7-11. such joint meeting or other formal Club action resulted, Whyte, R. B. 1909. Dr. Fletcher as a botanist. Ottawa Nat- the OFNC Council continued to meet in the OLSS uralist 22: 206-207. museum until March 1890. That was despite another Wilson, A. E. 1956. A guide to the geology of the Ottawa minor dust-up in 1889 concerning the OFNC’s offer to District. Canadian Field-Naturalist 70: 1-68. cover some of the public lecture programming required Wily,T. 1869. Swallow Lore. Transactions of the Ottawa of the OLSS in order to maintain its Ontario government Natural History Society (3). Ottawa. grant (LAC OFNC Collection, 6 November 1889). Zaslow, M. 1975. Reading the rocks, the story of the Geolog- 5 The involvement of women in the OFNC was very much ical Survey of Canada 1842-1972. Department of Energy promoted in these early years Ð in a patronizing if sincere Mines and Resources, Ottawa. 599 pages. way. The launch of The Ottawa Naturalist was accompa- nied by a special plea for the involvement of women … Received 22 June 2004 “especially will be ladies welcomed to our ranks, and every Accepted 10 August 2004 effort will be put forward to make the excursions and soirees pleasant as well as instructive” (Harrington 1887). END NOTES: At the March 1888 Annual Meeting “… a discussion en- 1 Number 1 (un-numbered), Braddish Billings’ Ottawa sued as to the eligibility of ladies as officers, and the vascular plant list (Billings 1868) was published between desireability of having some on the Council. Professor March and November 1868; Number 2 (numbered), 500 Macoun gave notice that he would at the next General copies of Sir J. A. Grant’s examination of the surficial meeting of the Club move that the executive Committee geology of the Ottawa Valley (Grant 1868) were published consist of six members, three of whom shall be ladies” December 1868; Number 3 (numbered), Thomas Wily’s (LAC OFNC Collection, 20 March 1888). This was accom- discussions of swallows (Wily 1869) was published De- plished by a Constitutional amendment in March 1890. cember 1869 (LAC OFNC Collection, 10 December 1869; Margaret A. Mills became the first female OFNC Officer Dore 1968). when “Miss Mills” was elected Second Vice-President in 2 Much later, Henry Ami reminiscing about events leading 1892 (LAC OFNC Collection, 15 March 1892). She was up to the formation of the Club described “… how the not present at the meeting, however, and was apparently Ottawa Club originated from the Epping Forest and Field not agreeable to her election, as she resigned effective the Club, and later Ottawa Naturalists Club …” (LAC OFNC next Council meeting 9 days later (LAC OFNC Collection, Collection, 2 February 1924). Ami may, however, have 24 March 1892), but stayed on as a Club member for been referring to names applied to informal groupings of several more years. field associates, such as the Fletcher, Harrington et al. 6 “This [Ottawa] District was then [1880] understood to group which conducted field work together in the Billings mean a radius of about twelve miles from the City of Bridge area in the late 1870s (Harrington 1909). There is Ottawa … latterly, however, with the general consent of no further mention of these groups in OFNC records by the botanists of the club, this radius has been extended to any of the individuals who, unlike Ami, were actively about 30 miles …” (Fletcher 1888). The Ottawa District involved in the formation of the Club. boundary was metricated in 1981 to a 50 km radius circle 3 Later, R. B. Whyte erroneously reported this as occurring on centred on the Peace Tower of the Parliament Buildings 19 March 1879 (Whyte 1880). He may have been referring (Anonymous 1981), including landscape within both south- to an earlier preliminary meeting or to the date of the eastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec. OLSS Council meeting where Fletcher and Henry Small Jr. 7 The portrait hung for many years in the Geological Survey obtained an expression of the co-operation and assistance Museum (later, National Museum of Canada). It now can from the parent organization, rather than the formal orga- be seen on display in the Logan Gallery of the Geological nizational gathering. Being documented only one year after Survey of Canada headquarters on Booth Street in Ottawa. the fact and by a Club founder and the originator of the 8 The saga of the OFNC library does not end there, however. idea of the OFNC, this error would quite understandably In 1948 the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) reported to the be accepted as fact and was repeated for over 100 years Club that they had discovered “… the old library of the as the formal starting date of the OFNC (e.g. Groh 1955; Club, now deposited in a storeroom adjacent to the main Taylor 1979). library” and that several hundred dollars worth of Canadian 4 Relations between The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club and Field-Naturalist (CFN) back numbers were recovered The Ottawa Literary and Scientific Society appear to have (LAC OFNC Collection, 29 October 1948). The Council been strained on at least several occasions in the following agreed to thank the OPL for storing the collection (since years. In his 30 November 1886 Inaugural Address, for 1917!) by donating a set of The CFN back to 1935. example, OLSS President W. P. Anderson complained Although the OPL apparently offered to continue to store 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 33

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 33

the 24 shelves worth of material at no cost to the Club, tion. This was initiated despite the Club’s request for a Council determined that all of the natural history and provincial publication assistance grant being denied. An geology books should be sold (LAC OFNC Collection, avowed Tory, John Macoun proclaimed that “politics had 22 November 1948). No one was aware, apparently, that intervened with the success of the application and that we the Club had given the library to the OPL back in 1917 and would have to learn to vote properly before we could hope thus was obviously in no legitimate position to sell the to succeed …” (LAC OFNC Collection, 18 March 1890). material. Nonetheless, the library was sold to “Mr. The none too subtle shot at the long serving Liberal gov- [Bernard] Amtmann, a dealer in second hand books …” ernment of Oliver Mowat was quite likely an accurate who assured the Council that OFNC members “would be observation of the politics of that day (Gywn 1984). The given first choice before the [collection] catalogues were Ottawa Naturalist did eventually receive a provincial gov- sent out … through his extensive mailing list” (LAC OFNC ernment publication grant (of $300.00), beginning in 1897. Collection, 19 January 1950). The Club’s initial share of But presumably to Macoun’s chagrin, this occurred with sales before Amtmann moved to Montreal with the collec- the Liberals still in power! Provincial financial assistance tion was $169 (LAC OFNC Collection, 20 November 1950); was received thereafter until 1924 (LAC OFNC Collection, the following year Amtmann offered the Club $200 for the 3 November 1924), as was generous federal publication remaining volumes of the library which he had sold off support funding for The Canadian Field-Naturalist in the “on a poundage basis” and for which he claimed to have 1980s and 1990s. incurred a considerable loss. The offer was accepted (LAC 11 The Macoun Autobiography was reprinted as an OFNC OFNC Collection, 16 November 1951) … a sad ending Special Publication in the Club’s centennial year (Macoun to what must have been a magnificent collection with an 1979), with an new introduction by Richard Glover and intriguing provenance. with both editorial notes and a biographical sketch by 9 The portrait by Franklin Brownell was commissioned in historian William A. Waiser. late 1911 (LAC OFNC Collection, 18 December 1911) 12 P. B. Symes presented his “nearly complete set” of The and hung in “a suitable and prominent place” in the Ottawa Canadian Field-Naturalist and its predecessors to the Public Library in the spring of 1912 (LAC OFNC Collec- Club in 1923. It formed the basis for “the Club’s set of tion, 12 March 1912). In the 1920s it was transferred to original issues” (Patch 1923) which is maintained for the the National Museum of Canada “for safekeeping” (LAC purposes of the current CFN editor. The set is now complete OFNC Collection, 14 December 1926) where it hung for (Francis Cook, personal communication). many years in the herbarium, its actual ownership and 13 When Pauline Snure was elected in 1948, she was the first the “temporary” nature of its placement at The Museum woman president of the OFNC, despite the conspicuous eventually forgotten. When this history was discovered and affirmative action efforts on behalf of women members by brought to the attention of National Museum of Natural James Fletcher and associates in the 1880s and again in Sciences Assistant Director (and former OFNC Vice-Pres- the first decade of the 20th century. ident) C. G. Gruchy and Agriculture Canada staff in 1985 14 It was presumably this 75th anniversary that inspired Herb (personal communication), arrangements were made by Groh to develop a biographical clipping file on OFNC The Museum for cleaning and minor restorations to be Presidents and other officers. The file was presented to the undertaken. The portrait, still technically owned by the Club in the early 1980s by Pierre Taschereau on behalf of Club and on loan to The Museum, was officially donated to Groh’s widow and is now preserved in the LAC OFNC The Farm on 2 June 1986 by OFNC 1986-1988 President Collection. W. G. Gummer (1915-1999) as part of the celebrations of 15 The present editor has suggested (personal communication) 100 years of agricultural research in Canada (Hall 1986). that this treatment might be overly critical of Senn’s edi- The Museum and the Club had now fully honoured their torial tardiness in comparison to the at-times substantial commitment to the memory of James Fletcher. The portrait delay of issues of the CFN during his (Cook’s) tenure. presently hangs, appropriately enough, in the William While recent delays sometimes approached (though Saunders Building, named after the Central Experimental never matched) those of the 1950s, the critical difference Farm Director who hired Fletcher as Canada’s first Domin- between the two was the impact on the Club in their res- ion Entomologist and Botanist. pective eras. The substantial publication delay in the early 10 The Ottawa Naturalist was published quarterly for a brief 1950s all but shut down Club productivity. While not to period (1889/1890) as a cost-saving measure but reverted suggest that contemporary publications delays are without to monthly publication (at the urging of Will Harrington) impact, they are clearly less threatening than those of 50 because of reader preference for more frequent produc- years ago. 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 34

34 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

APPENDIX 1: Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club officers (1879-2004)

(derived from (LAC OFNC Collection Minute Books (1879-1970) and The Canadian Field-Naturalist listings and contem- porary OFNC Council Minutes)

President Vice-President(s)1 Treasurer Secretary(ies)2 1879/1880 W. White J. Fletcher R. B. Whyte2 R. B. Whyte2 W. P. Riddell* W. D. LeSueur* 1880/1881 J. Fletcher R. B. Whyte W. H. Harrington2 W. H. Harrington2 W. R. Riddell* W. D. LeSueur 1881/1882 J. Fletcher R. B. Whyte W. H. Harrington2 W. H. Harrington2 H. B. Small Jr. 1882/1883 J. Fletcher R. B. Whyte W. P. Anderson W. H. Harrington J. F. Whiteaves 1883/1884 H. B. Small Jr. R. B. Whyte W. P. Anderson W. H. Harrington F. R. Latchford 1884/1885 H. B. Small Jr. R. B. Whyte W. P. Anderson W. H. Harrington J. Fletcher 1885/1886 W. H. Harrington John Macoun T. S. MacLaughlin W. P. Anderson S. Woods 1886/1887 John Macoun R. B. Whyte T. S. MacLaughlin W. H. Harrington S. Woods 1887/1888 R. B. Whyte John Macoun J. Fletcher W. H. Harrington S. Woods* 1888/1889 R. B. Whyte C. F. Marsan J. Fletcher T. S. MacLaughlin R. W. Ells 1889/1890 R. W. Ells H. M. Ami J. Fletcher T. S. MacLaughlin J. Ballantyne 1890/1891 R. W. Ells R. B. Whyte J. Fletcher T. S. MacLaughlin J. Ballantyne 1891/1892 R. W. Ells H. M. Ami G. Harmer W. H. Harrington T. S. MacLaughlin 1892/1893 G. W. Dawson W. H. Harrington* A. G. Kingston H. M. Ami M. A. Mills* F. Shutt 1893/1894 G. W. Dawson R. W. Ells A. G. Kingston H. M. Ami F. Shutt 1894/1895 G. W. Dawson J. Fletcher J. Fletcher* H. M. Ami F. Shutt D. B. Dowling 1895/1896 F. Shutt H. M. Ami D. B. Dowling A. Halkett A. G. Kingston 1896/1897 F. Shutt H. M. Ami H. M. Ami A. Halkett W. H. Harrington W. H. Harrington 1897/1898 E. E. Prince H. M. Ami J. Craig* A. Halkett W. H. Harrington 1898/1899 E. E. Prince H. M. Ami J. Fletcher W. J. Wilson John Macoun 1899/1900 H. M. Ami A. G. Kingston J. Fletcher W. J. Wilson John Macoun 1900/1901 H. M. Ami W. S. O’Dell J. Fletcher W. J. Wilson R. Bell 1901/1902 R. Bell D. A. Campbell J. Fletcher W. J. Wilson* W. T. Macoun 1902/1903 R. Bell A. E. Attwood A. Gibson W. J. Wilson W. T. Macoun 1903/1904 W. T. Macoun A. E. Attwood* A. Gibson W. J. Wilson* A. Halkett 1904/1905 W. T. Macoun W. J. Wilson A. Gibson T. E. Clarke S. B. Sinclair 1905/1906 S. B. Sinclair W. J. Wilson A. Gibson T. E. Clarke F. Shutt 1906/1907 W. J. Wilson F. Shutt A. Gibson T. E. Clarke 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 35

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 35

President Vice-President(s)1 Treasurer Secretary(ies)2 A. E. Attwood 1907/1908 W. J. Wilson A. E. Attwood A. Gibson T. E. Clarke A. Halkett 1908/1909 A. E. Attwood A. Halkett A. Gibson T. E. Clarke E. F. G. Eifrig 1909/1910 A. E. Attwood A. Halkett A. Gibson T. E. Clarke E. F. G. Eifrig 1910/1911 A. Halkett* A. G. Kingston H. Groh J. J. Carter A. G. Kingston* L. H. Newman 1911/1912 A. McNeill A. Gibson W. T. Macoun D. E. Blackader L. H. Newman 1912/1913 L. H. Newman A. Gibson W. T. Macoun D. E. Blackader J. W. Gibson 1913/1914 L. H. Newman A. Gibson W. T. Macoun E. D. Eddy H. I. Smith 1914/1915 A. Gibson C. G. Hewitt J. F. Watson E. D. Eddy H. I. Smith 1915/1916 A. Gibson C. G. Hewitt G. LaLacheur A. Halkett* H. I. Smith G. O. McMillan 1916/1917 H. I. Smith C. G. Hewitt G. LaLacheur L. D. Burling E. D. Eddy 1917/1918 H. I. Smith M. Y. Williams J. R. Dymond L. D. Burling C. G. Hewitt 1918/1919 C. G. Hewitt L. D. Burling J. R. Dymond* C. L. Patch M. Y. Williams 19193 M. Y. Williams L. D. Burling F. W. Waugh C. L. Patch P. A. Taverner 1920 M. Y. Williams L. D. Burling E. B. Crampe* C. L. Patch R. M. Anderson 1921 R. M. Anderson G. A. Miller C. B. Hutchings C. L. Patch H. Lloyd 1922 R. M. Anderson H. Lloyd C. B. Hutchings C. L. Patch G. A. Miller 1923 H. Lloyd G. A. Miller C. B. Hutchings C. L. Patch N. Criddle 1924 H. Lloyd G. A. Miller B. A. Fauvel J. F. Wright N. Criddle 1925 H. Lloyd* G. A. Miller* B. A. Fauvel J. F. Wright G. A. Miller* N. Criddle E. M. Kindle* 1926 N. Criddle E. M. Kindle B. A. Fauvel J. F. Wright C. L. Patch 1927 N. Criddle E. M. Kindle B. A. Fauvel J. F. Wright C. L. Patch 1928 E. M. Kindle C. L. Patch B. A. Fauvel J. F. Wright H. F. Lewis 1929 E. F. G. White H. F. Lewis W. Lloyd B. A. Fauvel C. M. Sternberg* C. L. Patch* 1930 H. F. Lewis M. E. Wilson W. Lloyd B. A. Fauvel C. M. Sternberg 1931 H. F. Lewis M. E. Wilson W. Lloyd G. S. Postethwaite C. M. Sternberg 1932 C. M. Sternberg M. E. Wilson W. Lloyd G. S. Lewis H. Groh 1933 C. M. Sternberg M. E. Wilson W. Lloyd G. S. Lewis H. Groh 1934 M. E. Wilson H. Groh W. Lloyd G. S. Lewis P. A. Taverner 1935 M. E. Wilson H. Groh W. Lloyd P. Whitehurst P. A. Taverner 1936 H. Groh P. A. Taverner W. Lloyd P. Whitehurst R. DeLury 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 36

36 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

President Vice-President(s)1 Treasurer Secretary(ies)2 1937 H. Groh P. A. Taverner W. Lloyd P. Whitehurst* R. DeLury C. W. Lounsbury* 1938 P. A. Taverner R. DeLury* W. Lloyd C. W. Lounsbury H. G. Crawford* A. E. Porsild 1939 A. E. Porsild H. G. Crawford W. Lloyd C. W. Lounsbury D. Leechman 1940 A. E. Porsild H. G. Crawford W. Lloyd C. W. Lounsbury D. Leechman 1941 H. G. Crawford D. Leechman W. Lloyd C. W. Lounsbury F. E. Banim 1942 H. G. Crawford D. Leechman C. H. D. Clarke J. W. Groves F. E. Banim 1943 D. Leechman F. E. Banim I. Conners J. W. Groves W. H. Lanceley 1944 D. Leechman F. E. Banim I. Conners J. W. Groves W. H. Lanceley 1945 F. E. Banim W. H. Lanceley I. Conners J. W. Groves A. L. Rand 1946 F. E. Banim W. H. Lanceley I. Conners O. H. Hewitt A. L. Rand 1947 W. H. Lanceley A. L. Rand C. Frankton O. H. Hewitt P. Snure 1948 W. H. Lanceley P. Snure C. Frankton H. J. Scoggan J. W. Groves 1949 P. Snure J. W. Groves C. Frankton H. J. Scoggan R. Frith 1950 P. Snure J. W. Groves C. Frankton H. J. Scoggan R. Frith 1951 J. W. Groves R. Frith R. J. Moore H. J. Scoggan W. K. W. Baldwin 1952 J. W. Groves R. Frith R. J. Moore H. J. Scoggan W. K. W. Baldwin 1953 R. Frith W. K. W. Baldwin R. J. Moore H. J. Scoggan H. Senn 1954 R. Frith W. K. W. Baldwin R. J. Moore H. J. Scoggan A. E. Bourguignon 1955 W. K. W. Baldwin L.S. Russell R. J. Moore H. J. Scoggan E. L. Bousfield 1956 W. K. W. Baldwin L. S. Russell R. J. Moore H. J. Scoggan E. L. Bousfield 1957 L. S. Russell E. L. Bousfield R. J. Moore H. J. Scoggan J. S. Bleakney 1958 L. S. Russell E. L. Bousfield R. J. Moore A. M. Banfield J. S. Bleakney 1959 E. L. Bousfield W. W. Mair J. M. Gillett A. M. Banfield D. R. Beckett 1960 E. L. Bousfield W. W. Mair J. M. Gillett A. M. Banfield D. R. Beckett 1961 W. W. Mair* D. R. Beckett* J. M. Gillett A. M. Banfield D. R. Beckett* V. Solman* E. Bousfield 1962 D. R. Beckett W. W. Mair A. Banning A. M. Banfield D. A. Smith 1963 D. R. Beckett W. W. Mair A. Banning D. A. Smith G. McGee 1964 G. McGee W. W. Mair A. Banning A. W. Rathwell G. R. Hanes 1965 G. McGee W. W. Mair A. Banning A. W. Rathwell F. R. Cook 1966 G. McGee F. R. Cook R. D. Wainwright A. W. Rathwell H. Mackenzie 1967 H. Mackenzie J. C. Woolley L. G. Howden A. W. Rathwell T. Mosquin 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 37

2004 BRUNTON:THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’CLUB 37

President Vice-President(s)1 Treasurer Secretary(ies)2 1968 H. Mackenzie T. Mosquin* L. G. Howden A. W. Rathwell J. Tener* G. McGee* 1969 H. Mackenzie T. Mosquin F. M. Brigham A. W. Rathwell W. A. Holland 1970 T. Mosquin W. A. Holland F. M. Brigham A. W. Rathwell S. Thomson 1971 T. Mosquin S. Thomson F. M. Brigham A. W. Rathwell I. M. Brodo 1972 S. Thomson I. M. Brodo P. Kevin A. W. Rathwell E. C. D. Todd 1973 I. M. Brodo E. C. D. Todd C. Gruchy A. J. Erskine (RS) A. H. Reddoch (CS) 1974 I. M. Brodo E. C. D. Todd C. Gruchy A. J. Erskine (RS) J. D. Lafontaine (CS) 1975 E. C. D. Todd R. A. Foxall P. J. Sims A. J. Erskine (RS) C. Gruchy (CS) 1976 E. C. D. Todd R. A. Foxall P. J. Sims P. J. Narraway (CS) A. J. Erskine (RS) 1977 R. A. Foxall R. Taylor B. Henson D. Laubitz (RS) S. Armstrong (CS) 1978 R. A. Foxall R. Taylor B. Henson D. Laubitz (RS) S. Armstrong (CS) 1979 R. Taylor C. Gilliatt B. Henson D. Laubitz (RS) V. Hume (CS) 1980 R. Taylor H. L. Dickson B. Henson D. F. Brunton (RS) E. F. Pope (CS) 1981 R. Taylor H. L. Dickson* B. Henson E. F. Pope (RS) D. F. Brunton* W. Gummer (CS) 1982 D. F. Brunton C. G. Gruchy P. D. M. Ward E. F. Pope (RS) P. M. Catling W. Gummer (CS) 1983 D. F. Brunton C. G. Gruchy* P. D. M. Ward E. F. Pope (RS) E. F. Pope* W. Gummer (CS) P. M. Catling 1984 E. F. Pope W. Gummer P. D. M. Ward G. Hamre (RS)* W. P. Arthurs A. Martell (CS)* B. Martin (RS & CS)* 1985 E. F. Pope W. Gummer P. D. M. Ward A. Martell (CS)* W. P. Arthurs* B. A. Campbell (CS)* 1986 W. Gummer B. A. Campbell P. D. M. Ward B. J. Martin (CS) J. Harrison E. Bottomley (RS) 1987 W. Gummer D. F. Brunton F. Valentine B. A. Campbell (CS) J. Harrison M. Coleman (RS) 1988 J. Harrison D. F. Brunton* F. Valentine* D. F. Brunton (RS)* K. Strang* R. John (RS)* J. Harrison B. A. Campbell (CS) 1989 J. Harrison R. John J. Gehr D. Duchesne (RS) K. Strang M. Aksim (CS) 1990 J. Harrison R. John M. Scromeda E. Fox (RS) D. Cuddy E. Evans (CS) 1991 R. John* E. Fox* G. Marston E. Evans (CS) S. Blight* D. Furlong (RS)* C. Firth (RS)* N. Stow (RS)* E. Fox (RS)* 1992 E. F. Pope vacant G. Marston E. Evans (CS) C. Clark (RS) 1993 E. F. Pope M. Murphy G. Marston S. Gawn (RS) E. Evans (CS) 1994 E. F. Pope M. Murphy G. Marston S. Gawn (RS) D. Moore E. Evans (CS) 1995 E. F. Pope M. Murphy G. Marston D. Smythe (RS) D. Moore E. Evans (CS) 01_04037_OFN.qxd 11/30/04 12:35 AM Page 38

38 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 118

President Vice-President(s)1 Treasurer Secretary(ies)2 1996 D. Moore M. Murphy G. Marston D. Smythe (RS) E. Evans (CS) 1997 D. Moore M. Murphy S. Shaw* D. Smythe (RS) T. Reeve* L. Cairnie (CS) 1998 D. Moore E. Zurbrigg S. Shaw G. McNulty (RS) D. Smythe vacant (CS)4 1999 D. Moore E. Zurbrigg E. F. Pope* G. McNulty (RS) D. Smythe vacant (CS)4 2000 E. Zurbrigg R. John E. F. Pope J. Martens 2001 E. Zurbrigg R. John E. F. Pope K. Allison 2002 E. Zurbrigg R. John E. F. Pope K. Allison 2003 G. McNulty M. R. Murphy E. F. Pope S. L. Bourque G. Marston 2004 M. R. Murphy G. Marston E. F. Pope S. L. Bourque

* served only a portion of this term; RS Ð Recording Secretary CS Ð Corresponding Secretary

1 First and Second Vice-President positions existed in most but not all terms. 2 Secretary and Treasurer positions were combined until 1882; 3 The OFNC “year” was rearranged in 1919 to coincide with the calendar year rather than the fiscal year, resulting in a 1918-1919 year ending in March 1919, a 9 month “year” for the remainder of 1919, and normal calendar years thereafter. 4 Corresponding Secretary position left vacant for two years then eliminated; Recording Secretary position continues.